Kenyan fighters dominate at ANZA fight night

 Kenyan fighters delivered a commanding performance as East Africa’s rising mixed martial arts scene lit up ANZA MMA Amateur Fight Night at The Alchemist in Westlands, Nairobi.

Samuel Laurian secured a featherweight victory by submission, while Shadrack Otieno produced one of the night’s quickest finishes needing just 30 seconds to defeat Aman Niyigena.

Tomas Maule, co-founder of Nairobi Jiu-Jitsu Academy, praised the home fighters as outstanding.

 "Kenya has shown that local talent is starting to really take off and separate itself from the regional competition."

In the featherweight main event, Samuel Laurian capped off a strong night for the host nation by submitting Rwanda’s Jonathan Ntakirutimana.

The welterweight co-main event saw Italy’s Lorenzo Cardanelli once again defeat Kenya’s Amos Eboso by submission, reaffirming his dominance in their rivalry following their 2025 encounter.

In a dramatic flyweight contest, Uganda’s Shaffik Assuma claimed victory over Kenya’s Jared Otieno via disqualification in one of the night’s most intense bouts.

At the same time, Matthew Lwano secured the night’s only decision victory against Maina Morgan, showcasing technical control across three rounds. Elsewhere, Eric Ngari delivered a knockout win over Gordon Juma, and Kennedy Adaki impressed with a submission victory against Eugine Oyugi.

Full Results

Main Card

* Featherweight: Samuel Laurian def. Jonathan Ntakirutimana (submission)

* Welterweight: Lorenzo Cardanelli def. Amos Eboso (submission)

* Lightweight: Shadrack Otieno def. Aman Niyigena (submission)

* Flyweight: Shaffik Assuma def. Jared Otieno (disqualification)

Preliminary Card

* Bantamweight: Martin Mwanza def. Djibril Binego (TKO)

* Flyweight: Steve Munyi def. Kamya Pison (TKO)

* Bantamweight: Matthew Lwano def. Maina Morgan (decision)

* Featherweight: Eric Ngari def. Gordon Juma (KO)

* Featherweight: Kennedy Adaki def. Eugine Oyugi (submission)