The man behind Nigeria’s answer to the UFC – meet ‘Dana Black’
Maxwell Kalu
Interview with Maxwell Kalu
FOUNDER, AFRICAN WARRIORS FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP
Maxwell Kalu describes his business as “Africa’s UFC”, referencing the multi-billion dollar American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company, the Ultimate Fighting Championship. But the African Warriors Fighting Championship (AWFC), which he founded, is not a replica – it is rooted in something uniquely Nigerian.
AWFC organises and promotes Dambe fights, a traditional boxing style that originated in northern Nigeria. The centuries-old sport draws inspiration from traditional spear and shield warfare. Fighters use one hand, wrapped in rope, to strike, while the other is reserved for defence. Kicks, often with fierce intensity, are also a key part of the combat style.
While estimates about Dambe’s origins vary, Kalu believes it has been around for “at least hundreds of years”.
The Uber ride that sparked a business
Prior to founding AWFC, Kalu worked in corporate communications, mostly in the UK. A long-time fan of combat sports, he also used to compete in kickboxing.
He says AWFC merges his professional background in brand building and communications with his passion for the fight world.
Kalu’s original concept was to launch an MMA organisation similar to the UFC in Nigeria. In 2018, he travelled from London to Nigeria to better understand the local fighting landscape. It was during this trip that an Uber driver introduced him to Dambe. “You like this fighting stuff, right,” Kalu recalls the driver saying. “Let me show you something.”
The driver took him to a Dambe fight in a part of Lagos “that you probably wouldn’t want to go as a tourist,” he says. This was where Kalu first encountered Dambe. “You’ve got drums, you have musicians, you have fighters doing different dances – all these things … As soon as I saw it, I was like, this needs to be it … Rather than do a sort of copycat organisation … we’re going to zero in and focus on Dambe because ultimately this is something that’s uniquely Nigerian, something that only we do.”
Kalu was also encouraged by the growing global appetite for African cultural exports such as Afrobeats and Nollywood. If music and film from the continent could go global, why not Dambe?
Dambe fighters in action
Turning a local tradition into a global product
With the concept in place, Kalu travelled to northern Nigeria – Dambe’s heartland – to learn more about the sport and its practitioners. He describes its following in that region as being “on a whole other level” compared to the south. He began engaging local stakeholders. “We introduced what our vision for the sport is, which is we see this being a global sport. We see these athletes being superstars that are celebrated on a global level.”
But breaking in was not straightforward. “These are communities that are at times hard to penetrate … We didn’t create this sport … And we had to be very respectful of the traditional custodians of it,” he says. While AWFC has made some adjustments – around safety, rule clarity, and formal structures like weight classes – these changes required community support. “You can’t do that without the buy-in of the communities that this sport has existed in for hundreds of years.”
It took time to gain acceptance, but AWFC eventually began filming fights and distributing content through its digital platforms. From there, it expanded to hosting its own events, produced at a higher level than before.
Kalu says AWFC now has a core group of contracted fighters who feature regularly. One of its stars is a fighter who goes by the name Coronavirus. “He’s a great talent – super engaging, showman, knocks people out – just has all of it.”
While the company’s biggest audience remains domestic, Kalu notes that fans from the US and Brazil are also engaging with AWFC content.
The business model
The UFC, which generated $1.4 billion in revenue in 2024, makes money from pay-per-view sales, sponsorship, broadcasting rights, ticketing, and more. Kalu says AWFC has taken inspiration from the UFC’s business model but has adapted it to suit African market realities.
Earlier this year, AWFC announced a broadcast partnership with UK-based on-demand sports and entertainment platform DAZN. Under the agreement, DAZN will act as AWFC’s global streaming partner and broadcast the Dambe World Series – a tournament of five events in which Nigeria’s top athletes face international challengers.
Kalu sees further monetisation opportunities through sponsorships from brands wanting to advertise on AWFC platforms.
Coronavirus, one of the AWFC’s star fighters
Another potential revenue stream is betting. “There is [already] a big culture of informal betting around the sport,” he notes, adding that the company is working on a more formal solution.
While the UFC last year made headlines for generating $22 million in door takings from a single fight night at the Sphere in Las Vegas, Kalu is realistic about Nigeria’s market. “We’re not focused on generating revenue out of ticket sales across Nigeria. We’re more interested in the value of the content and the broadcast product and how far we can travel with that.”
Kalu started AWFC with his own personal savings and some support from friends and family. Last year the company received investment from Silverbacks Holdings, an investment firm focused on African sports and entertainment businesses.
[Read our interview with Ibrahim Sagna, chairman of Silverbacks Holdings: The case for investing in African sports]
Taking Dambe to the next level
It has been reported that Dambe fighters can earn anything from $20 to upwards of $500 per fight. Kalu says the monetary rewards have traditionally varied widely. Many fighters, he explains, rely largely on tips from the crowd, while others are paid by arena managers depending on how popular they are.
He points out that the minimum monthly wage in Nigeria is ₦70,000 (roughly $45), so if a fighter earns $500, “he is not doing bad when you compare it with the rest of the country”.
AWFC has introduced a more formal pay structure. While Kalu doesn’t disclose specific figures, he says fighters earn a baseline amount, with additional performance-based bonuses. “The average … African Warriors fighter, in a night, is earning a lot more than most Nigerians are earning in a month.”
He says most of AWFC’s contracted fighters now compete full-time, and some have become local celebrities. “If you walk the streets of Kano with Coronavirus, it’s a big deal.”
While UFC president Dana White is arguably more famous than some of the athletes he promotes, Kalu insists he is “fairly low-key as far as founders go”. Still, when asked about stepping into the spotlight, he jokes: “Dana Black, if you will. That’s what we’re going for.”
African Warriors Fighting Championship founder Maxwell Kalu’s contact information
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