He is one of Africa’s top mixed martial arts fighters, currently holding a record of seven wins and one loss. Hailing from Cameroon, Nana Djantou Maxwell fights for a UK-based team, but his ambition is to help young martial arts talent on the continent, something he has already started doing in Cameroon.
Although he is now among the world’s top mixed martial arts fighters, Cameroonian Maxwell Nana did not have an easy start, despite being highly talented and passionate. He began at the age of nine, following in the footsteps of his father, who was a boxer. Maxwell Nana started with Shotokan karate, then moved on to judo, combat sambo, and finally, mixed martial arts.
“After finishing secondary school, I went to university in Yaoundé; that’s where I developed my judo further because the facilities were there. Later, I transitioned to combat sambo, and in 2019 I became the world vice-champion for the first time; I was the very first Black athlete to reach that stage globally. In 2021, I emerged as the amateur combat sambo world champion and the professional combat sambo world champion.”
Maxwell Djantou NANA, MMA Fighter – Cameroon
That same year, in 2021, Maxwell Nana began his MMA career but did not win fights immediately. In the meantime, he continued to rack up victories in professional combat sambo at the world level, earning up to three belts by 2023. And despite the difficult start in professional MMA, today Maxwell holds a 7-1 record—one loss and seven wins. When he is not training or fighting, Maxwell Nana enjoys inspiring young MMA enthusiasts in Cameroon.
Maxwell Nana advocates for promoting combat sports in Africa through infrastructure development and talent scouting and promotion. He is one of the professional fighters who took part in the Professional Fighters League (PFL) Africa semifinals, held for the first time in Kigali on October 18, 2025.