Ahead of his Washington D.C. bout with Brandon Davis on July 25, PFL Africa bantamweight champion Nkosi Ndebele believes his destiny is to clinch the vacant belt globally.
It is a lofty goal for a fighter making his bow on the global stage with the PFL and currently ranked outside their top 10 bantamweight fighters. As per the organisation's list, the top-ranked bantamweight is Mitch McKee. However, after they scrapped their tournament format, there is no official current champion.
In the eyes of Ndebele -- a fighter raised in Diepsloot, Gauteng and known as 'the King of Many Nations' -- the fact that changes to the organisation's structure have coincided with his introduction to the global stage after his Africa tournament win is an omen that the throne is being prepared for him, even if it takes some time to clinch the belt.
"The PFL actually cancelled the tournament now. There's no more [global] tournaments in the PFL. So right now, it's just the normal sequence, like how many other organizations do it -- one champion in every division," Ndebele told ESPN.
"So, that's why the bantamweight title is vacant. Most of the titles are vacant and we are all chasing them. And how beautiful that is - that just as I qualify to be in the global, then they prepare the seat for me, you know, like the throne for myself. There can only be one king, so it just matches perfectly.
"I'm the king. I've always said I take pride in my name. Nkosikhona means the king is here [or] God is here."
Confident as he may be today, Ndebele's journey in martial arts began from a place of vulnerability.
"My first martial arts [experience] was KyokushinKai Karate, which was in Diepsloot. I actually joined that because of the hectic situations that were happening over there in Diepsloot - too much bullying, too much gangsterism," he said.
"I needed a safe zone, a safe group of people I could relate to. Me joining karate was solely because of that part. The more I did, the more I became disciplined and it became more natural for me.
"I knew that even after matriculating at school, I would want to pursue something in sport - in the martial arts - but I didn't know anything about MMA. I only discovered it in 2016, just after I matriculated. That's when I started learning about the UFC - the names of [fighters such as] Nkazimulo Zulu who have been [in the sport] for a long time. The rest is history."
Since 2023, Ndebele has been at Soma Fight Club in Bali, Indonesia -- his first gym outside of South Africa.
Previously with Bahrain-based BRAVE Combat Federation, Ndebele suffered a loss against Nicholas Hwende in December 2024 that ironically paved the way for him to become the PFL Africa champion the following year.
"For many, it was a loss, but for me it was a win - specifically in life, specifically with what I want to achieve and how far I want to go in the sport. I think it was time," Ndebele said of his defeat to Hwende.
"It was a hectic situation with BRAVE at that moment. I had had calls with the PFL - I knew I wanted to go, but I still had the [BRAVE] belt. They couldn't let me go - they didn't want to release me. If I defended the belt, there would still have been a champion's clause that would have bound me for three fights.
"With BRAVE, it was taking time for me to have [fights set up]... Mentally, I was in a tough space because I knew that getting that victory [would have meant being] stuck where I am. Losing it means that in the eyes of the people, Nkosi lost.
"I have to really be truthful to myself - as much as the lost happened, I was so excited. That's why I didn't call for any rematch or anything. Sometimes, in life, things don't happen the way you expected. I wouldn't have wanted it to happen like that, but I wouldn't change anything."
Ndebele has had a packed schedule in PFL Africa, picking up only wins from bouts against Mahmoud Atef, Simbarashe Hokonya, Boule Godogo and Michele Clemente.
He heads into the preliminary card bout against Davis in Washington D.C. - a new challenge and an unexpected one after a late change to the fight card saw Mando Gutierrez replaced as his opponent - with a 12-3 overall record and the confidence of a fighter who has nothing to lose and everything to gain.