From Kakamega Coding to MMA Glory: How Emmanuel Okola Knocked Out His First Opponent in 33 Seconds

A Kiswahili set book sparked Emmanuel Okola’s idea for Tindi, but he didn’t discover fighting until he moved to the UK. From teaching himself software development in Kakamega to stepping into an MMA ring, Okola’s journey has taken him through two worlds that, on the surface, could not be more different.

Speaking on the Iko Nini podcast on Monday, September 28, 2026, Okola opened up about the experiences that shaped both sides of his life, from abandoning his initial plan to pursue architectural engineering to building his own app and eventually finding himself in the world of mixed martial arts.

From a Set Book Idea to Building Tindi in Kakamega

Okola was in Form Three in 2022 when a Kiswahili set book gave him the idea for what would become Tindi. A story about someone who used to drink made him think about the social spaces around people having a good time, and how he could use technology to bring them together.

Rather than pursuing the architectural engineering path he had initially considered, Okola became interested in software development and began thinking about how technology and social interaction could work together.

“I started thinking, how do I merge technology and social interaction? How do I bring people together?”

The decision did not immediately sit well with his parents, who were concerned that a student with good marks was turning away from the academic path they expected him to follow.

Their concerns eventually led to Okola being sent to his rural home in Kakamega, where he spent three months away from his parents, brother and sister.

Instead of letting the isolation stop him, Okola used the time to teach himself software development.

With about Ksh 200 to spend each week, he had to carefully divide the money between food and internet bundles, after which he would spend his evenings learning and practicing coding.

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It was during those three months that he built the first version of Tindi. When his father later came to visit, Okola showed him what he had managed to create and explained that the application was already live and functional despite him not having gone to university.

The demonstration changed his parents’ perspective, with his father deciding that Okola’s abilities needed a bigger platform.

That opportunity eventually took him to the UK, where he is pursuing a Bachelor of Technology in Computer Software Engineering at the University of Hertfordshire.

The move, however, brought another challenge. Away from home and looking for something that would push him differently, Okola decided to join a boxing gym, and the experience would eventually lead him into MMA.

Okola Turns Early Setback into an MMA Breakthrough

What began as an attempt to find a new way to express himself quickly became something Okola took seriously.

He found himself drawn to the discipline of fighting, not only because of the physical demands but because he viewed it as a way of testing his limits and understanding himself.

“I got there and felt this is where my heart is. That first punch I took to the face was the most spiritual experience I have ever had as a man,” he said.

Okola’s first chance to compete came in early 2025, when he completed an eight-week training camp; however, he was not selected.

After putting in the training and expecting to finally make his debut, he said the disappointment forced him to confront his own lack of consistency.

Rather than seeing the experience as the end of his fighting ambitions, he carried the lesson into his next camp, where he committed himself to showing up and putting in the work.

“I came to realise I wasn’t consistent, and it taught me a hard lesson of showing up.”

That approach paid off in 2026 when Okola trained six days a week and eventually earned his place in an amateur MMA bout against Jakib “Jigsaw” Jablonski at an Ultra MMA event in Watford on March 28.

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The fight was scheduled for 10 p.m., and Okola chose Wakadinali’s Kumbaba as his entrance song. As he made his way to the ring, Africans in the crowd sang his name while he carried the Kenyan flag, a moment that made him even more aware of what was at stake.

Okola stopped Jablonski after just 33 seconds. He said his opponent first threw a hook, which he avoided before landing a straight punch.

After the referee separated them, the two returned to a grappling exchange, where Okola found another opening and landed a clean hook that ended the fight.

Eight weeks of preparation had ended in less than a minute.

Okola was later called aside and asked whether he wanted to pursue a professional MMA career. The conversation opened the door to his first professional league opportunity and gave him a chance to take the sport beyond the amateur level.

His father, who did not know he was fighting that night, only learnt about it after Okola called him following the fight.

For Okola, the path ahead now runs alongside the two worlds he has already built for himself. He is continuing his studies and work in software development while preparing to take his MMA career further.

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Kenyan MMA fighter Emmanuel Okola. PHOTO/ Iko nini