Hinda eyes EFC title after back-to-back KOs
Namibian mixed martial artist Veja “Hinda Boy” Hinda has revealed ambitions for a possible Extreme Fighting Championship (EFC) title fight in Cape Town early next year, following his second consecutive first-round knockout in South Africa on Thursday night.
Hinda toppled experienced South African Godfrey “FeralSpunky” Mkhwanazi in 95 seconds of their 141-pound catchweight main event in Johannesburg after a head kick and cross punch sent his opponent onto the canvas.
The stoppage victory extended Hinda’s unbeaten professional record to 3-0 and made him the first fighter to stop the South African by strikes in his 12-fight professional career. The knockout also earned Hinda a performance bonus from EFC.
Before facing Hinda, Mkhwanazi held a 6-5 professional record, with his five defeats coming through three submissions and two decisions.
‘This is no surprise’
A fighter by night and lawyer by day, Hinda confirmed that he took no damage during the short-lived EFC 139 main event and is already plotting his next challenge with Pride Fighting Academy and Kosoto Mixed Martial Arts.
“I’m healthy and ready to go whenever. We’re looking at a possible title fight, or contender fight early next year,” he noted.
Speaking about the significance of stopping an opponent who had never been knocked out, Hinda said the result came as “no surprise” to him.
“Like I’ve said before, I’m levels above all these fighters. It does feel good to be main event and close the show with a highlight reel.”
Hinda remains confident as he continues to establish himself in the EFC bantamweight division. The Namibian previously spoke out against pressuring athletes to maintain perfect records, a stance he held after his latest victory.
“Pressure is an illusion. The more I compete, the more I understand that. All this does is put the bantamweight division on notice. They now know Hinda Boy is here and he’s dangerous,” he assured.
Calculated pressure
In the Hex against Mkhwanazi, Hinda wasted little time asserting himself, constantly pressing forward with kicks and forcing his opponent onto the back foot before finding the opening for his finishing combination.
However, the Namibian said the early knockout was not necessarily the objective when he stepped into the cage.
“I knew from the onset that he wouldn’t be able to keep up with my pressure. I wasn’t looking for the knockout, but I knew the longer the fight went on, the more mistakes he’s bound to make. I was planning to capitalise on those mistakes.”
Familiar finishing touch
Hinda’s latest victory came five months after he knocked out South Africa’s Bheki Ngcobo with a devastating right hand just 2 minutes and 9 seconds into the opening round of their bantamweight bout at EFC 134 in June.
The back-to-back knockouts mean Hinda has needed a combined 3 minutes and 44 seconds in the Hex to dispose of his last two professional opponents.
The latest head-kick finish also brings back memories of his exploits at the 2022 International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) African Championships in South Africa.
During that tournament, Hinda knocked out Mauritius’ Geraldo Moïse with a head kick just 52 seconds into the first round of their featherweight semi-final. He eventually claimed the African featherweight gold medal at that event.
His latest knockout, meanwhile, came against an opponent he had not initially prepared to face.
Hinda was originally scheduled to take on South Africa’s Coenie “The Prophecy” Lamprecht (3-1) in the EFC 139 main event before Lamprecht withdrew after suffering a concussion in training.
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