Sherdog Prospect Watch: Phumi Nkuta

Phumi Nkuta does not lack confidence. In fact, he brims with it.

The 28-year-old former Cage Fury Fighting Championships flyweight titleholder missed almost two years with a hand injury that required multiple surgeries and resulted in a brief retirement from mixed martial arts. Nkuta returned to the cage in 2023 after a 595-day layoff and proceeded to put two more notches in the win column. It was as if he never left.

“I took time off from the sport, but I didn’t really stop training so much,” Nkuta told the FightWave podcast. “I was still kind of helping some guys out. I was coaching a little bit, but my mind was always in this game. I’ve worked so hard over the years and still do work hard.…