Kane's elbow barrage stops Medkouri to headline wild PFL Africa 3 Playoff Semifinals in Casablanca

Abdoulaye Kane bulldozed promotional newcomer Badr Medkouri with a punishing elbow barrage to claim a first-round TKO in the heavyweight headliner of PFL Africa 3: 2026 Playoffs at Mohammed V Sports Complex in Casablanca, Morocco on Saturday.

The fight was briefly halted after an apparent eye poke by Kane, but once Medkouri (9-4, 0-1 PFL) was cleared to continue, the Senegalese heavyweight took control. Kane (6-2, 3-2 PFL) drove his opponent to the cage, secured a takedown, and unleashed a flurry of elbows on the canvas that left referee Paul Crossley no choice but to wave it off at 4:06 of round one. The win marked Kane’s third victory in his last four appearances after rebounding from a loss.

In the featherweight co-main event, former UFC fighter Yanis Ghemmouri (14-4, 2-1 PFL) was patient and precise against Taha Bendaoud (5-3, 2-3 PFL), repeatedly taking the fight to the canvas in the second and third rounds and keeping the Moroccan at range with strikes. All three judges scored it 30-27 in favour of the Algerian, who advances to the final.

The welterweight bracket produced a dramatic early finish when Shido Boris Esperanca (13-2, 5-1 PFL) stopped Peace Nguphane (9-4, 1 NC; 1-1 PFL) just 63 seconds into their semifinal. Esperanca, who had missed weight at 172 pounds the previous day, hurt Nguphane immediately and maintained relentless pressure to earn the TKO. He will meet David Samuel (5-0, 2-0 PFL) in the final after Samuel outgrappled Rivaldo Pereira (4-3, 1-1 PFL) over three rounds for a unanimous 30-27 decision — the first time the unbeaten prospect has gone the distance as a professional.

At bantamweight, Dwight Joseph (17-3, 1 NC; 3-1 PFL) edged Boule Godogo (5-3, 2-3 PFL) by split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) in the card’s only 135-pound semifinal. Joseph dominated the grappling and took Godogo’s back on multiple occasions but could not convert a finish. He advances to face Raphael Uchegbu in the final after Uchegbu’s scheduled semifinal against Alain Majorique was removed from the card.

The lightweight semifinal also concluded with Patrick Ocheme (10-1, 4-0 PFL) securing his place in the final, though the source details of that finish were not fully available at time of publication.