Éliezer Kubanza defeats Trey Waters via first-round KO

Congolese mixed martial artist Éliezer ‘King Kong’ Kubanza secured a decisive victory against American welterweight Trey Waters at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago. Competing in the Professional Fighters League (PFL), Kubanza ended the bout at 1 minute and 36 seconds of the first round following a powerful left hand that sent Waters to the canvas.

Kubanza, the promotion’s eighth-ranked welterweight, improved his record to 10-1 with the win. The victory follows a sequence where Waters briefly managed to scramble upright after earlier pressure, but Kubanza ultimately closed the distance to deliver the knockout blow. The stoppage marks Kubanza’s ninth stoppage in ten professional victories, with seven of those occurring in the first round.

Following the fight, Kubanza used the platform to address champion Thad Jean directly. The performance has increased the visibility of Congolese athletes within major international MMA organizations.