African Warriors Fighting Championship (AWFC) has secured an exclusive partnership with DAZN, the London-based sports streaming service, to bring Dambe, Nigeria’s centuries-old form of boxing, to a global audience. Through this collaboration, DAZN becomes the official global streaming partner for the Dambe World Series, a five-event tournament where Nigeria’s top fighters take on international contenders.
It marks a major step in the globalisation of Dambe, a combat sport with roots in West African warrior traditions. While Dambe has already gained traction online—attracting over 15 million YouTube views via AWFC’s broadcasts—DAZN’s global reach could elevate its profile much like UFC did for mixed martial arts. In 2023, AWFC teamed up with Stake, the online casino known for sponsoring global sports like football and Formula One, marking Dambe’s first international partnership.
“Dambe is a sport with deep cultural roots and immense athletic appeal,” said Maxwell Kalu, founder of AWFC. “Partnering with DAZN allows us to introduce it to a global fanbase. We are confident that 2025 will be the year Dambe captures the attention of fans worldwide.”
Founded in 2018, AWFC promotes and organises professional Dambe events to develop the sport’s global presence. Its 2024 “King of Dambe” tournament featured the sport’s first European competitor. The upcoming Dambe World Series, which kicks off in June 2025, will build on this momentum.
This partnership could also be a turning point for Dambe’s commercial viability. Beyond streaming, AWFC aims to attract sponsorship deals, merchandising opportunities, and a broader international fanbase. If successful, Dambe could follow in the footsteps of other combat sports, evolving from a regional tradition into a globally recognised competition with mainstream appeal.
“Audience attention for global combat sports has seen a huge rise,” said Kalu. “It speaks to consumer trends where people prefer to watch bite-sized content. In terms of challenges for Dambe, it’s just raising awareness. Dambe is a sport that had a vibrant ecosystem before anybody discovered it, but it was very much a quiet sport. We are raising the production standards where necessary.”
AWFC stages fights across Nigeria through a network of partner arenas, drawing paying spectators from various parts of the country. The matches are also streamed online, attracting viewers from the US and Brazil—two regions with dedicated Dambe followings, according to Kalu.
DAZN, often referred to as the “Netflix of Sport,” boasts 20 million paying subscribers across 200+ countries and holds streaming rights to major sports, including boxing, football, and the NFL. It flows well, but it could be slightly smoother. In 2023, the company reported $2.8 billion in revenue, with backing from investors, including billionaire Sir Len Blavatnik’s Access Industries.
By securing exclusive broadcasting rights to Dambe’s biggest events, DAZN is betting on the sport’s crossover appeal. For AWFC, the deal provides a crucial platform to showcase the best of Nigerian combat sports on the world stage.
