Legacy is at stake: Everything you need to know about EFC KNOX Legacy Series

The KNOX Legacy Series is set to kick off the EFC’s 2026 calendar with a mouthwatering fight card that features local capetonian hometown heroes and international stars from countries like Brazil and Australia. 

The Vice President of talent and key member in the EFC executive team, Graeme Cartmell gives his thoughts on a jam-packed lineup.

“A lot of athletes wanted to be on this card and it was a good problem to have. The whole fight card is stacked with legitimate threats in every division from the start of the fight card all the way to the end. 

“In terms of what we were trying to achieve, we really wanted to showcase Cape Town because people are salivating at the prospect of seeing top class MMA from their local guys against international fighters. It’s been a long time coming, and who better to partner with to deliver such an epic event than with KNOX and Dricus du Plessis.”

The final fight of the night features local favourite and EFC middleweight champion, Luke Michael and the DRC danger man, Diego Bandu.

Cartmell gives some insight into this interesting clash of styles.

“It’s a strange one because stylistically it doesn’t look good for Bandu from a wrestling perspective. Historically, wrestling has never been Bandu’s strong point, whereas Luke’s whole world is based on wrestling. I will say this though, when the lights are on and it’s a five-rounder, and you have a guy with international experience like Bandu, I think all that pressure creates a great fight. So I don’t think we’re going to see any kind of smothering in the wrestling department and one specific area will not be the focal point. Both fighters have had to build on some of their lacking skill sets,” explained Cartmell.

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It is also understood that Dricus du Plessis himself will be in the corner of Luke Michael for this mega fight. Stylistically, people may have their doubts about the fight, but in these kinds of events, it’s never about the fighter’s ability, it’s about what’s on the line and what each man is willing to sacrifice on the night.

Another local legend, Faeez ‘The Troublemaker’ Jacobs will also be looking to deliver a statement performance in front of his own people.

“We have to put the world on notice as to how incredible our athletes are, and the best way to do that is to make the world versus Cape Town. Let’s get Trent Girdham from Australia to fight Faeez Jacob’s from Mitchells Plain. Girdham is a super seasoned athlete in Asia with an outstanding record at a very high level and his objective is to rack up as many titles as possible in a bid to capture the interest of the UFC.

“But we’ve put him up against Jacobs, and he is anything but a stepping stone fight. Faeez is an absolute samurai and he’s going up against a guy whose nickname is Samurai. Faeez embodies everything it means to be a true mixed martial artist.”

No matter the results come February 26, the people of Cape Town watching the event live and the people tuning in from right across the country are guaranteed to be royally entertained.