Fighting Chance

THE BEST WAY TO LEARN ABOUT SOMETHING IS BY DOING IT. AFTER STARTING SEVERAL SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSES, CAIRO HOWARTH – PRESIDENT OF EFC AFRICA – KNOWS WHAT IT TAKES TO MAKE A BUSINESS THRIVE. LEARN FROM HIM.

- Megan Flemmit

SOUTH AFRICAN MIXED MARTIAL ARTS (MMA) athletes seeking the glory and fame that comes with being a champion fighter had very few chances in the early 2000s. The limited number of events taking place across the country wasn’t enough for anyone to make a lucrative career out of the sport.

Meanwhile, across Europe and the US the sport was exploding. It quickly became the fastest-growing sport of the time; and yet, its reach did not extend to Africa.

Like many successful entrepreneurs before them, Cairo Howarth and his brothers, Silas and Calvin, took advantage of the gap they saw in the market, and launched the Extreme Fighting Championship (EFC Africa) in 2009. Having trained in judo and karate since they were youngsters, the brothers were avid supporters of MMA.

“We saw what was happening with the UFC overseas. It was quickly taking over the world,” says Cairo, who’s now president of EFC Africa. “We thought, why would Africa be any different?”

The birth of EFC Africa gave rise to a new era of MMA on the continent. For the first time, athletes were contracted to fight. “We canvassed the local scene, and gave the top athletes the opportunity to compete at our first event: EFC 1,” Cairo explains.

From the start, EFC was a hit, among athletes and fans alike. After EFC 1, the sports organisation received an influx of eager fighters wanting to compete. “They saw that we were doing it properly, and much more professionally,” says Cairo.