Kenya's first Female Mixed Martial Arts Fighter Wins Her PFL Africa Debut
Kenyan exponent Felista Mugo beat Uganda's Anne 'Rose' Kiiza to make a grand start in her Professional Fighters League (PFL) Africa career in Pretoria, South Africa, on Friday. April 10th, 2026 evening, but she will have to forfeit some of her prize purse.
Felista, who is credited as the first female professional Kenyan MMA fighter, beat Kiiza by a unanimous decision of 30-27, 30-27, 30-26.
From the opening bell, she dictated the pace, using her reach to land significant strikes before neutralizing Kiiza’s counter-attacks with effective clinch work.
Training out of the Elite Training Center, Mugo showed the fruits of her recent labors, exhibiting a well-rounded skill set that has evolved significantly since her professional debut in 2023.
The 26-year-old pinned her opponent down for most of the bout despite the Ugandan landing some clean shots. Felista employed a steady barrage of punches to the head, which eventually left Kiiza dazed as the third round wound down.
With less than 15 seconds to go, Felista allowed Kiiza to get back into the fight, but at that point, the damage had already been done. Even before the judges revealed the scores, Felista and her team spotted huge smiles as Kiiza fought back tears, fully aware of the results.
By breaking into a major international promotion, “The Young Queen” has shifted the narrative around women in combat sports, proving that the journey can lead from local mats to world-class mastery.
The win was huge for Felista as she seeks to scale the ladder of MMA, but she will have to take a pay cut. During the official weigh-in on Thursday, Felista surpassed the strawweight limit by 0.7 lbs and therefore agreed to forfeit 20% of her purse to her opponent for the fight to proceed in line with MMA regulations.
Fighters in the strawweight limit need to be 115 lbs (52.2kg), with fighters often given a 1-pound allowance for non-title fights. Felista weighed 116.7 lbs while Kiiza weighed 112 lbs. How much will Felista Mugo earn after winning at PFL Africa? It is not known how much the fighters on the lower cards will take home, but the main cards are battling for 100,000 USD (KSh 12.9 million) at the end of the season.