Wasi Adeshina will enter the cage at PFL Africa 2 in Johannesburg on August 9, 2025, as a featherweight fighter for Nigeria, living and training in Sweden. The story of his career begins with adversity rather than ambition.
Wasi Adeshina
Adeshina started practicing mixed martial arts for self-protection after being bullied. “It was more of a self-protection type of thing. Everyone has been bullied once in their lifetime, and one day you wake up and say, no more getting bullied,” he said, in an interview with LowKick MMA.
Adeshina explains that he did not set out to become a professional athlete. “The dream was never to become a professional MMA fighter. I had a few fights and then I made it this far. Once you make it this far, you get curious about how far you can go, where your abilities and your self-belief can take you.” He says that being bullied steered him towards martial arts and ultimately shaped his path. “Those people did me a favor. They got me where I needed to be.”
He encourages young people facing similar challenges to take initiative. “One day, stand up for yourself. Take matters into your own hands because mom and dad aren’t going to be there all the time. Big brothers and big sisters aren’t going to be there all the time. Just you.”
“Anyone can take whatever it is you have today and they won’t look back and care about it. Winning that fight showed me my potential and that this was meant to be. When you unlock that character of yours, no one can stop you.”
Adeshina will face Jean-Jacques Lubaya from the Democratic Republic of the Congo in his next bout. He emphasizes the importance of the opportunity. “I’m really grateful to PFL for giving me the opportunity. A guy like me, most people would never believe I’d make it this far. But we’re in the big leagues now and it’s time for the Champions League to start.”
When questioned about strategy, Adeshina does not focus on elaborate planning. “Everybody has a game plan until they get punched in the face. I’m looking forward to getting punched in the face and then we’ll see the game plan there,” he said.
Looking ahead, Adeshina wants to earn the PFL Africa belt and then compete internationally. “I’m taking the PFL Africa belt and then seeking my abilities on the world stage to take that belt too. I’m going to start with Africa and then go and take the nations as well.” He credits his team at Sweden Top Team for their ongoing support and is eager to represent their work in Johannesburg. “I can’t wait to get to Johannesburg and show what we’ve been working on.”
