EFC's Most Heated Staredowns: Du Plessis vs. Bahati & More
Some of the most heated staredowns in EFC Worldwide history have produced unforgettable moments before the fighters even entered the Hexagon. From Yannick Bahati slapping Dricus du Plessis to explosive weigh-in confrontations and rivalries settled by knockout or submission, this compilation revisits the trash talk, face-offs and fight-night outcomes behind several notorious EFC encounters.
Featuring confrontations from EFC 43 through EFC 128, the video looks at what happened when fighters tried to intimidate their opponents before the opening bell—and whether that aggression translated into victory.
Dricus du Plessis vs. Yannick Bahati: The infamous EFC 62 slap
Few EFC face-offs have aged quite like the confrontation between Dricus du Plessis and Yannick Bahati.
At the August 2017 press conference ahead of EFC 62, reigning middleweight champion Bahati slapped Du Plessis during their first face-to-face meeting. The incident immediately escalated an already hostile rivalry and drew criticism from EFC officials, who announced that Bahati would face disciplinary review.
Du Plessis entered the fight as the promotion's welterweight champion, attempting to become the first man to simultaneously hold EFC titles in two weight divisions.
When they finally met at Carnival City on August 19, Du Plessis needed just 90 seconds. The South African submitted Bahati with a guillotine choke at 1:30 of Round 1, claiming the middleweight championship alongside his existing welterweight belt.
The contrast between the press-conference slap and the decisive submission remains one of the most memorable examples of a heated EFC rivalry being settled inside the cage.
EFC 74: Cheyanne Vlismas vs. Karolina Wójcik and Conrad Seabi's confrontation
The tension was hardly limited to championship fights. At EFC 74 on October 6, 2018, American prospect Cheyanne Vlismas and Poland's Karolina Wójcik arrived with considerable animosity already established during fight week.
Their women's flyweight contest at Carnival City proved considerably more competitive than some of the compilation's shorter finishes. Vlismas defeated Wójcik by split decision after three rounds, with the matchup earning Fight of the Night recognition.
Another heated confrontation from the same card involved Conrad Seabi and German opponent Max Merten. During the official weigh-in face-off, Seabi surged toward Merten, colliding with EFC matchmaker Graeme Cartmell as officials attempted to keep the fighters separated.
Seabi backed up his aggressive approach on fight night, stopping Merten by TKO with punches at 2:10 of Round 3. Unlike the Du Plessis-Bahati rivalry, this was an example of the fighter bringing the confrontation carrying that intensity into a winning performance.
Earlier EFC confrontations: Mauricio da Rocha Jr. and Wesley Hawkey
The compilation also reaches back to several earlier moments in the promotion's history.
At EFC 66 in Pretoria on December 16, 2017, Brazilian welterweight Mauricio da Rocha Jr. faced Pupanga Tresor. Their contest ended with Da Rocha securing an anaconda choke submission at 4:45 of Round 1.
Another featured name is Wesley Hawkey, whose featherweight meeting with Sizwe Mnikathi took place at EFC 43 in Durban on August 27, 2015.
Mnikathi imposed his grappling game, eventually taking Hawkey's back and finishing with a rear-naked choke at 4:56 of the opening round. It was a difficult outcome for Hawkey in front of his local crowd, and another reminder that pre-fight confidence offers little protection against a well-executed game plan.
EFC 122 and EFC 128: More recent knockouts settle the tension
The compilation's newer encounters show that intense face-offs remain part of the South African promotion's identity.
At EFC 122 on April 10, 2025, Adrian Sanchez faced Robert Simbowe in a lightweight bout. Sanchez finished the contest with punches at 1:42 of Round 1, recording another early stoppage on the EFC preliminary card.
Six months later, William Lekana met Nicolaas Vermaak in a bantamweight matchup at EFC 128.
Lekana secured the stoppage with punches at exactly 4:00 of Round 1. The performance earned him one of the event's official performance bonuses, making it one of the more decisive fight-night outcomes represented in the compilation.
These two fights sit alongside the older confrontations to show how different heated rivalries can develop. Some produce lengthy, competitive battles; others are settled almost immediately once the fighters are allowed to exchange strikes.
When EFC trash talk meets fight-night reality
The most interesting part of these confrontations isn't simply who shouted louder or stepped closer during the staredown. It's how quickly the atmosphere can change when the contest begins.
Bahati's slap preceded a 90-second submission defeat. Vlismas and Wójcik turned their hostility into a Fight of the Night contest. Seabi stopped Merten in the third round, while Lekana and Sanchez delivered first-round finishes.
EFC's Most Heated series brings those moments together with their consequences, connecting the promotional buildup to the actual results rather than treating a staredown as the entire story. For longtime followers of African MMA, it also offers a look back at the promotion's memorable personalities, from former champions to fighters who made their mark in a single night.