Justin Clarke targets PFL Africa Heavyweight glory

The South African, who fights out of the famed CIT Performance Institute in Pretoria, has been preparing for this moment for quite some time, knowing that a victory in the final against Bably will do wonders for his career in the global fight game.

In an exclusive conversation with SABC Sport, the dangerous heavyweight offered some insight into his camp before the fight of his career.

“In my previous fight, we thought Maxwell Nana was going to try and take me down, because I gravitate to stand-up fighting. My opponents will either decide to face me on the feet or look to take me down, so we trained a lot of takedown defense before the semi-final and we have just continued to do that for Abraham Bably. He is a wrestler who usually finishes fights via ground-and-pound, so one can say he is a one trick pony, although one trick ponies are dangerous.”

READ: Sinalo Jafta looks back at successful 2025 for Proteas Women

Guided by Morné Visser and Stephan De La Rey, Justin Clarke is gearing up for his fourth fight in 2025. He admits all the training and the fights themselves have taken effect on his body, but the physical pain will be all worth it in the end.

“Within a five-month period I have fought three times, so the body is feeling it. Over the course of this tournament, I had to manage my body and my mind. It was evident in my last fight, both myself and Maxwell Nana were messed up and bruised after the fight. 

“In these fights, it’s not two lightweights hitting each other, it’s two big heavyweights of 120 kilos and more. After the semifinal round in Rwanda, I thought to myself how easy Abraham Bably’s run to the final was, compared to the war I won. 

“But now, all the work has been done. The moment I signed with the PFL earlier this year, we started putting in the work and it has paid off. I can’t say I never had a great camp for this fight. Was it perfect? No, I needed to recover from a fight, but during that recovery phase I was working on very technical slow-paced stuff because the gas tank doesn’t vanish overnight.

“Where I am standing right now, I’m feeling really confident about the fight. I have no doubt that he is going to try and take me down, I don’t think he wants to stand and bang with me, he can try but my hand will be raised either way. 

“It will end with a knockout or TKO, but you never know, another verbal submission might be in store.”

The PFL Heavyweight tournament spanned five months and featured 64 of the best fighters from around the continent. The winner of the tournament stands to gain $100 000, but Clarke has made it clear that he is not in it for the money.

“We are professional fighters because we enjoy embracing the challenge and everything about MMA, although the financial incentive is a big added bonus.

“To be in the final serves as a tap on the shoulder, proving that the past eleven years of sacrifice have come to bear some fruit."