The South African ended 2024 in disappointment as he was dethroned by Zimbabwe’s Nicholas Hwende after five hard-fought rounds at BRAVE CF 91.
Defeat was a bitter pill to swallow for Ndebele, who proudly flew the flag for African MMA as BRAVE CF’s bantamweight king. Now he’s been usurped by another African fighter, he heads into the new year determined to reclaim his spot on the 135-pound throne.
Ndebele and Hwende have already built a strong rivalry, with the pair clashing verbally in the lead-up to their title bout in Bahrain in December. And, if Ndebele has his way, they’ll renew that rivalry in the coming months, with Ndebele looking to bounce back from his title loss by putting things right in a rematch.
Ndebele posted to his Instagram on Christmas Day to share his mindset for the year ahead, as he kept everything in perspective, despite his disappointment in losing his bantamweight crown.
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“All glory to God,” he wrote.
“Above all, 2024 was a great year, small setbacks that are a promotion for big things to come.
“What is a damaged light bulb compared to the sun? Still shining more than ever.”
Ndebele has rebounded from title fight disappointment before. His first tilt at bantamweight gold ended in defeat to then-champion Jose “Shorty” Torres. But he bounced back to not only win the rematch and capture the title, but also go on to win a third meeting between the pair and seal victory in their fighting trilogy.
And the former champion will be putting in the work at his training base at SOMA Fight Club in Bali in a bid to make history repeat itself as he looks to return to winning ways and reclaim the bantamweight strap once again.
