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EFC 138 Preview & Predictions: Djikasa vs. Born, Odds, How to Watch and Full Fight Card

EFC 138 Preview & Predictions: Djikasa vs. Born, Odds, How to Watch and Full Fight Card

Extreme Fighting Championship returns to Johannesburg on Thursday, October 1 with a vacant heavyweight belt, an unbeaten knockout artist trying to become champion and a former titleholder attempting to take back the division he once ruled.

EFC 138: Djikasa vs. Born takes place at the WSB EFC Arena in Sandton, with the preliminary card scheduled for 14:00 CAT and the main card beginning at 19:00 CAT.

The main event is the clear centerpiece: Matunga Djikasa, a two-time former EFC heavyweight champion, meets 4-0 Terrence "The Mountain" Born for the vacant title. Born has stopped every professional opponent he has faced. Djikasa, meanwhile, is trying to reclaim the championship after losing to Adama Diop earlier in 2026.

There have also been late changes lower down the EFC 138 card, so this is one event where checking the final lineup during fight week matters. Stefan Diedericks has stepped in to face Khanyo Maqam, while Guelor Sondi has replaced Lucky Boscoe against Alex Kapinga.

Matunga Djikasa vs. Terrence Born for the vacant EFC heavyweight title

Matunga Djikasa vs. Terrence Born is essentially experience against destructive momentum.

Djikasa enters at 8-6 and has already been through multiple EFC title fights. His eight victories include five by KO or TKO and two by submission, but his record also tells you where the danger lies against a hitter like Born: five of Djikasa's six defeats have come by knockout or TKO.

His most recent fight was particularly relevant. Adama Diop stopped Djikasa with punches in the second round at EFC 132 in April to take the heavyweight championship. Diop subsequently vacated the belt ahead of his move toward Dana White's Contender Series, putting Djikasa straight back into another title opportunity.

Born could hardly have had a more violent introduction to professional MMA. He is 4-0 with four KO/TKO victories and has never reached the third round. His last three wins lasted 41 seconds, 38 seconds and 2:56 respectively.

 

 

The market has Born as the clear favorite at approximately -250, with Djikasa around +175. That feels understandable rather than surprising. Born is younger, unbeaten and has shown serious finishing power, while Djikasa is coming directly off a TKO loss.

The uncertainty is that Born has only four professional fights. Djikasa has been through championship rounds, bad positions and much stronger adversity. If Born cannot produce his normal early breakthrough, EFC 138 may reveal something about him that his first four fights simply never had time to show.

MMAtown pick: Terrence Born. At -250, however, the moneyline already prices in a lot of the obvious advantages. Heavyweight MMA also makes laying a large favorite inherently less comfortable.

Gift Walker gets another major bantamweight fight

Former EFC flyweight champion Gift Walker is back just three months after going five rounds with Faeez Jacobs in a failed bantamweight title challenge.

Gift Walker vs. Sithembiso Hadebe now gives Walker a chance to remain close to the front of the 135-pound division rather than dropping into a rebuilding fight.

Walker is 8-4 and has built most of his finishing success through submissions, with six of his eight victories coming by tapout. Hadebe enters at 5-2 and returned from nearly two years away at EFC 136, where he defeated Godfrey Mkhwanazi by unanimous decision.

Hadebe has never been stopped as a professional, which makes this more interesting than a straightforward bounce-back booking for Walker. Still, Walker has dealt with a stronger level of EFC opposition and owns considerably more high-level divisional experience.

Current odds have Walker around -188 and Hadebe +140. Of the better-known fights on the card, Walker at that price is one of the more reasonable favorites.

MMAtown pick: Gift Walker.

Khanyo Maqam gets a late rematch with Stefan Diedericks

One of the most important fight-week changes came at lightweight. Osvaldo Benedito had originally been booked against Khanyo Maqam, but Stefan Diedericks has stepped in instead.

It is not a completely new matchup. Maqam and Diedericks fought before turning up together on an EFC main card, with Maqam submitting Diedericks by triangle choke in the second round of their September 2024 meeting.

Maqam is now 3-1 professionally and has stopped all three opponents he has beaten. His EFC run includes consecutive ground-and-pound stoppages over Vince Bembe and Emmanuel Sita.

Diedericks, 2-2, comes in on a very quick turnaround after stopping Johnny Koen with elbows in the opening round at EFC 137 on September 10. He also submitted Thembani Mhlanga earlier this year.

The betting line is understandably wide given the first fight: Maqam is around -350, with Diedericks available at roughly +240.

Maqam is our pick, but -350 is difficult to love. Diedericks has improved since their first meeting and is coming off two straight finishes, so this is exactly the type of replacement matchup where paying a large favorite price deserves some caution.

Clelio Diogo puts his unbeaten record against Godfrey Mkhwanazi

Clelio Diogo vs. Godfrey Mkhwanazi is another useful test of an unbeaten EFC prospect against a much more experienced opponent.

Diogo is 3-0 and has finished his last two fights by rear-naked choke. Mkhwanazi has been around the EFC bantamweight scene far longer and most recently went the distance with Hadebe at EFC 136.

The current market makes Diogo approximately a -250 favorite, with Mkhwanazi at +175. Diogo's finishing form makes him the logical pick, but Mkhwanazi represents the type of experienced opponent who can expose holes that three professional fights may not have revealed.

MMAtown pick: Clelio Diogo.

Steven Goncalves vs. Vince Bembe brings experience to the main card

There is little prospect-vs-prospect mystery in Steven Goncalves vs. Vince Bembe. These are two long-serving regional fighters who badly understand the value of momentum.

Goncalves is 9-6 and has won consecutive fights by first-round rear-naked choke. Six of his nine professional victories have come by submission.

Bembe enters at 8-8-1 and is trying to stop a three-fight losing run. His most recent defeat came against Maqam at EFC 134, while Goncalves' resurgence has pushed him in the opposite direction.

There was no widely posted moneyline for this matchup when we checked the EFC 138 markets on September 29, but stylistically it is one of the more relevant main-card fights outside the title picture.

Tryford Mwanga makes another rapid turnaround

Zambia's Tryford Mwanga has barely had time to settle into professional MMA. He is 2-0, both victories have come by first-round TKO and his most recent fight was only on September 10.

Now he returns against professional debutant Thapelo Malatjie in Mwanga vs. Malatjie.

Mwanga stopped Obakeng Mahura in 41 seconds on his professional debut and then finished Lukhmaan Jhazbhay at 1:57 of Round 1 at EFC 137. Malatjie comes from the amateur circuit with submission experience and therefore presents a different problem if he can force Mwanga away from the striking exchanges that have defined his first two professional appearances.

Mwanga is around -200, with Malatjie +140. We lean toward Mwanga continuing his run, although betting heavily against a debuting opponent with relatively little professional tape is rarely straightforward.

MMAtown pick: Tryford Mwanga.

EFC 138 odds

Only part of the card had broadly tracked moneylines when we checked on September 29. These are a snapshot and can move significantly before Thursday.

Fight Current odds MMAtown lean
Matunga Djikasa vs. Terrence Born Djikasa +175 / Born -250 Terrence Born
Gift Walker vs. Sithembiso Hadebe Walker -188 / Hadebe +140 Gift Walker
Khanyo Maqam vs. Stefan Diedericks Maqam -350 / Diedericks +240 Khanyo Maqam
Clelio Diogo vs. Godfrey Mkhwanazi Diogo -250 / Mkhwanazi +175 Clelio Diogo
Itumeleng Mabilo vs. Thembani Mhlanga Mabilo -118 / Mhlanga -118 No strong lean
Alex Kapinga vs. Guelor Sondi Kapinga -167 / Sondi +120 Kapinga
Allistar Kunene vs. Bheki Ngcobo Kunene -175 / Ngcobo +130 No strong lean
Tryford Mwanga vs. Thapelo Malatjie Mwanga -200 / Malatjie +140 Tryford Mwanga

If looking strictly at price rather than simply picking winners, Walker around -188 is more appealing to us than Born at -250 or Maqam at -350. Mwanga at -200 is interesting as well, but two professional fights is still a very small sample. There is no obvious reason to force a play on every EFC 138 matchup simply because a line exists.

How to watch EFC 138

EFC 138 takes place Thursday, October 1 at the World Sports Betting EFC Arena in Johannesburg, South Africa.

  • Preliminary card: 14:00 CAT
  • Main card: 19:00 CAT
  • Worldwide: Discover Sport and DAZN in eligible territories
  • Sub-Saharan Africa: SuperSport, SABC Sport and Discover Sport
  • United States: international EFC broadcast partners include Dooya Media and Next Level Sports & Entertainment

DAZN's EFC agreement covers free-to-view distribution in many international territories, although Sub-Saharan Africa and Poland are excluded from that specific DAZN arrangement. Broadcast availability should therefore be checked locally.

 

 

EFC 138 full fight card

The card has changed during fight week, so the lineup below reflects the most recent matchups we could verify as of September 29.

As always with a regional MMA card, late withdrawals and replacement opponents can continue right through fight week.

EFC 138 FAQ

When is EFC 138: Djikasa vs. Born?

EFC 138 takes place on Thursday, October 1, 2026 at the WSB EFC Arena in Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa. The prelims are scheduled for 14:00 CAT and the main card for 19:00 CAT.

Who is fighting for the EFC heavyweight title at EFC 138?

Former two-time EFC heavyweight champion Matunga Djikasa faces undefeated Terrence Born for the vacant championship. Born enters the fight at 4-0 with four KO/TKO victories.

Why is the EFC heavyweight title vacant?

Adama Diop defeated Matunga Djikasa for the heavyweight championship at EFC 132 before later vacating the belt ahead of his Dana White's Contender Series opportunity. That created the vacant-title fight between Djikasa and Born.

What are the Djikasa vs. Born betting odds?

As of September 29, Terrence Born is approximately a -250 favorite, with Matunga Djikasa around +175. Betting lines can move before the event.

Where can you watch EFC 138?

EFC lists Discover Sport among its global broadcast options, with the main card also distributed through SuperSport, SABC Sport, DAZN and international partners depending on territory. DAZN's EFC coverage is available in many countries but excludes Sub-Saharan Africa and Poland under its current rights agreement.

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