“I Have an Eye for the Finer Details”: MMA Fighter Justin Clarke Shares His Passion for Drawing

• Local MMA fighter Justin Clarke hopes to return to his sketchbook to continue his love for drawing
• The multi-talented athlete is set to make his first appearance in the second season of PFL Africa
• Briefly News had a chat with Justin, who shared how the contrasting art forms mirrored each other

Justin Clarke, a talented Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter, not only has a passion for entering the Octagon but also an activity that requires skill, attention to detail, and self-expression: drawing. However, due to his busy athletic schedule, Justin wishes he had more time with a pencil and paper.

The Pretoria-based fighter, born and raised in KwaZulu-Natal, originally qualified as a graphic designer after obtaining a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Information Design from the University of Pretoria.

He shared with Briefly News:

"Art and biology were my favourite subjects in school. I decided I wanted to do something with art other than a BA in Fine Arts. I was pointed to design and loved it!"

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While Justin enjoyed art during his school days, he was also introduced to kyokushin karate when he moved to Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) in 1999. This is where his love for martial arts began. Later in life, the Virgin Active personal trainer focused on fitness and the gym during his studies, and while exploring the industry, he took up kickboxing in 2014.

"I eventually moved over to MMA in 2023."

Three years later, Justin is preparing to make his first appearance in PFL (Professional Fighters League) Africa Season 2. The American mixed martial arts league launched the African division in 2025 to provide a global platform to local fighters. The heavyweight fighter, who trains alongside former UFC Middleweight Champion Dricus du Plessis at the CIT Performance Institute, will face Senegal's Abdoulaye Kane on 10 April 2026 in Pretoria.

Sharing how he thought his artwork mirrored being in the Octagon, the artist said that he strongly believes that his persistence for perfection and his ability to enter a "flow state" while drawing are skills he uses in fighting, adding:

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"I also have an eye for the finer details."

Briefly News also asked Justin what motivates him to keep pursuing MMA despite having other talents and interests. He replied:

"I just have a calling. I am drawn to it as long as I am physically and mentally capable. While I can, I will, because eventually, I will not have the ability to compete at such a high level."

3 Other stories about local artists

• In another article, Briefly News reported that an artist using lipstick to create his drawings unveiled a portrait of the late Springbok Women's captain, Lasanda Dumke.
• Polokwane-based artist SK Original created a cracked grass portrait of Thembinkosi Mthembu, personally handing it to the actor.
• A young and talented artist stunned social media users when he used candle smoke to make a portrait of soccer legend Cristiano Ronaldo.

Source: Briefly News