Demba Seck is one fight away from $100,000 and a PFL Africa lightweight title, and he got there after 37 seconds of work. His semifinal against Hussain Al Kurdi on Saturday (Oct. 10, 2026) in Casablanca, Morocco, ended in a No Contest when Seck ate an accidental knee to the groin at 0:37 of Round 1. Sherdog’s official result confirmed the stoppage and that Seck advances to the tournament final. MMA Mania noted that PFL rules require a winner to come out of semifinal matchups, so somebody had to move on. That somebody was Seck.
Seck walked in at 11-3 overall and 1-0 in the PFL. Al Kurdi was the unbeaten prospect at 3-0, and Sherdog had billed the matchup as a real stylistic clash before the cage door closed. Both men now carry a No Contest on their records. Only one of them is still in the bracket, and the fans packed into the sold-out Mohammed V Sports Complex never found out which guy was actually better.
Ocheme Waits in the Final
Seck’s opponent for the lightweight crown is Patrick Ocheme, who entered the night 9-1 and 3-0 in the PFL and left it with a much more convincing résumé. Ocheme stopped Cornel Thompson (12-3, 2-0 PFL going in) with a liver kick in the second 155-pound semifinal, which is about as clean a way to earn a title shot as exists in this sport.
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The welterweight final is also locked. Shido Boris Esperança (12-2, 4-1 PFL) finished Peace Nguphane by TKO, although Sherdog reported that Esperança weighed in at 172 pounds the day before and was kept in the tournament regardless. David Samuel stayed perfect, taking a unanimous decision over Rivaldo Pereira with three 30-27 cards. Samuel came into the fight 5-0 and 3-0 in the PFL. Those two meet later this year in Rwanda, and judging by the video MMA Mania posted, they’re already itching to get at each other.
At bantamweight, Dwight Joseph (16-3, 1 NC; 2-1 PFL) outlasted Boule Godogo by split decision. Joseph gets Raphael Uchegbu in the 135-pound final. Uchegbu advanced without fighting Saturday because his opponent missed weight, per Sherdog, and his last win came against Edson Machavane at the PFL event in Nigeria in June.
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Up top, Abdoulaye Kane did exactly what the heavyweight main event promised and smashed Badr Medkouri by first-round TKO.
Quick Take
Nobody should blame Seck for any of this. He’s the guy who got kneed in the groin, and he didn’t write the rulebook. Still, look at how the three finals got built: one finalist missed weight and stayed in, another advanced because his opponent missed weight, and a third moved on after a low blow at 0:37. That’s a lot of paperwork deciding a tournament worth $100,000 per division. Ocheme kicked a man’s liver into next week to earn his spot. If I’m setting the line for Rwanda, he opens as the favorite, and Seck walks into that final needing to prove the bracket got it right.
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