Johannesburg –  Two Nigerians were defeated in the Extreme Fighting Championship (EFC) Africa 09, a mixed martial arts contest, which held at the packed Coca Cola Dome in Johannesburg on Thursday night.

They are Raymond Ahana, 31, and Steven Momah, 29.

Ahana lost to 28-year-old Jeremy Scheepers from Pretoria, South Africa by a unanimous decision of judges after a three-round bout in the Light Heavyweight category.

Ahana, who started well in the first round, lost grip of the last two rounds when Scheepers bounced back and went ahead to take the day.

But Momah was knocked out in two minutes and 20 secs. of the first round by his opponent, Martin Van-Staden from Durban, South Africa in a worse defeat than that of his compatriot.

The duo clashed in the welterweight category.

Ahana said after the duel that though he had no excuse for his defeat, he believed the high altitude and the weather in Johannesburg worked against him.

“The altitude here is very high so it kind of chokes one out, though I don’t have any excuse as I did my best.

“If I had stayed here longer I would have been able to go the whole rounds without being fatigued,” he said.

Momah in his reaction said he lost to a better fighter.

“It is my first major loss and I give God the glory. I have no excuse for this, my opponent was a better fighter and the better fighter will always win.

“I want to go back home, do my homework and come back and get better,” he said.

Valentine Morah, trainer of the Nigerian team which is from Combat League Gym, said though his boys lost, he was happy they did not sustain injuries.

“We fight to fight tomorrow,” he said, adding that they would go back home, put themselves together and come back again for the next fight.

Morah said the team was in the competition to showcase the good attributes of Nigerian youths and change the perception that many were into advanced fee fraud.

He said the team came for the competition independently and called for support from both the government and the private sector to enable them do more for the nation.

Two officials of the Nigerian Consulate in Johannesburg, Mr Itodo Ojobo, Consul, Trade and Investment and Mr Chris Iruala, Consul, Nigerian Community Relations, watched the bouts.

They said the boys should use the experience from the competition positively.

They also encouraged the team not to be discouraged by the losses but to continue to look ahead for a brighter future.

EFC AFRICA was formed in 2009 and is reputed to be the largest, most prestigious Mixed Martial Arts Championship in Africa. (NAN)