The ‘President’ is back

The pair fought in the featherweight division with Tumisang taking the fight in the first round with a rear naked choke.

Tumisang says almost as soon and he and Tyson met in the hexagon he could tell he was faster than his opponent.

He says the fight started with some angling before Tyson tried to kick Tumisang.

“I grabbed his leg and swept before allowing him back up,” he says.

“He tried to kick again and I connected with a straight right that put him down before working the ground and pound.”

Tyson managed to get back up but Tumisang quickly had him against the fence and “loaded the punch from Springs to Johannesburg” before Tyson shot for a take down allowing Tumisang to sprawl on him and again enforce his domination with more ground and pound.

“My corner told me to take his back and finish him off which is what I did,” says Tumisang.

“Fortunately I managed to trap one of his arms in the process and sunk in the check, squeezing for dear life.”

The fight ended in the first round with a rear naked choke which Tumisang says is ironic since this is exactly how he lost his last fight.

Tumisang says he really enjoyed fighting in Durban, in front of a fabulous crowd, and credits Tyson with a great fight.

“Big ups to Tyson,” he says.

“I am sure he was well prepared and did his best but on the night my fight was just right.”

Trainer JP Kruger says he was very impressed with Tumisang’s fight.

“I knew he would come out like a machine but he came out with his A game and surprised even me,” he says.

“Tyson is a strong opponent but Tumisang had trained hard and was in the right frame of mind to finish the fight quickly.”

Manager James Read adds: “I am over the moon with this win.

“This is the Madiba we know, he is back and ready to take his game to the top and claim the belt.”

Tumisang says he is back in training and hoping to fight in EFC 44 at Carnial City on October 3.

He says he would like to thank his team including James and JP as well as sponsors RSV, Scenic Route Transfers, Vision Air Brakes and Pat Hinde Toyota.

The Wolfman

Teammate and fellow Springsite, Pieter “The Wolfman” de Klerk (25) lost his fight to Andrew Smith in the featherweight class at EFC 43.

He was unavailable to speak to the Addie on Monday, but according to James, who also manages Pieter, as a bantamweight, Pieter was fighting out of his class but still managed to get a performance bonus for a great fight.

“This says something about how impressed the EFC were with him. He was the loser and got the bonus while Andrew received no bonus,” says James.

James says he was very happy with Pieter’s performance and says he fought like a champion.

Pieter lasted the full three rounds and lost by judges’ decision.

According to James, Pieter defended a lot of submissions and put up a great fight, especially since he is a kickboxer, not a ground fighter.

“He has also shown so much improvement since his last fight and can only get better so we are really looking forward to seeing him win future fights,” says James.

“I would like to thank Pieter for motivating me,” says Tumisang, adding “I was nervous until I saw him fight which gave me the determination to win my own fight.”