Tag: BRAVE CF

BRAVE CF 56 Results

BRAVE CF 56 went down today in Belgrade, Serbia. It was the first time the promotion held an event in the Balkan nation, and it was the company’s final event of 2021. Former UFC featherweight Rolando Dy took on Serbia’s Slobodan Maksimovic in a lightweight bout in the main event. Dy was looking to bounce […]

BRAVE CF 56 went down today in Belgrade, Serbia. It was the first time the promotion held an event in the Balkan nation, and it was the company’s final event of 2021.

Former UFC featherweight Rolando Dy took on Serbia’s Slobodan Maksimovic in a lightweight bout in the main event. Dy was looking to bounce back from a second-round TKO loss to Abdisalam Kubanychbek at BRAVE CF 47. 

In the co-main event, Serbia’s Miro Jurkovi? took on Russia’s Mikhail Allakhverdian in a middleweight clash. 

Here are the full results from BRAVE CF 56

  • Lightweight: Slobodan Maksimovic def. Rolando Dy via unanimous decision
  • Middleweight Mikhail Allakhverdian def. Miro Jurkovic via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Super Lightweight: Ahmed Labban def. Nemanja Kovac via RD 2 Submission 
  • Bantamweight: Borislav Nikolic def. Matiss Zaharovs via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Light Heavyweight: Jakob Nedoh def. Zvonimir Kralj via RD1 KO
  • Super Welterweight: Jovan Marjanovic def. Tomek Langowski via RD1 TKO
  • Featherweight: Abdullah Al-Qahtani def. Nejc Preloznik via RD3 TKO
  • Catchweight (77 KG): Nikolay Nikolov def. Milos Cvetkovic via RD2 Submission
  • Bantamweight: Miljan Zdravkovic def. Ahmet Simsek via unanimous decision

Exclusive: BRAVE CF Broadcast Team’s Favorite Moments Of 2021

From left to right, Carlos Kremer, Phil Campbell & Kirik Jenness BRAVE CF wraps up its 2021 calendar this Sat, December 18, with BRAVE CF 56 going down in Belgrade, Serbia, inside the BelExpo Centar. Headlining the nine-fight card will be a lightweight clash between the Philippines’ Rolando Dy and hometown hero Slobodan Maksimovi?.  Ahead […]

From left to right, Carlos Kremer, Phil Campbell & Kirik Jenness

BRAVE CF wraps up its 2021 calendar this Sat, December 18, with BRAVE CF 56 going down in Belgrade, Serbia, inside the BelExpo Centar. Headlining the nine-fight card will be a lightweight clash between the Philippines’ Rolando Dy and hometown hero Slobodan Maksimovi?.

 Ahead of this weekend’s event, LowkickMMA caught up with the three of BRAVE CF’s most recognizable voices: Commentators Phil Cambell and Kirik Jenness, as well the “The Roaring Lion” himself, BRAVE CF’s in-ring announcer Carlos Kremer.  Cambell, Jenness, and Kremer have all had front-row seats to the action and drama that has unfolded at BRAVE CF throughout 2021. We asked them to share with us their favorite moment of the Year, Fight of the Year, and the match-ups they most wanted to see in 2022. Here are the moments that resonated most with them in 2021.

Favorite Moment of the Year

Phil Cambell – BRAVE CF commentator 

The favorite moment of the Year isn’t just one singular moment caught in time. It has to be the return to Kombat kingdom four shows over the course of 21 days, and [in] one of the most beautiful settings Arad Fort in Bahrain. You could just feel that there was so much history steeped in this place. It was like a Roman Coliseum times 10. Such an amazing backdrop, four incredible shows stacked with incredible fighters. You know, you had some of the best fighters in the world coming together in that moment.

Carlos “The Roaring Lion” Kremer – BRAVE CF In-Ring Announcer

Top moment for me would be “The Butcher” Ahmed Amir winning the Brave CF Lightweight World Title over heavily favored former Champion Amin Ayoub and becoming the first Egyptian Combat Sports World Champion.

I announced Ahmed’s fight against Richie Martinez five plus years ago at Brave CF 1, and he shocked the world then with a victory over “The Boogieman” , who is one of the top Jiu Jitsu stars on the planet. Six full years of dedication, Amir left his home and family in Egypt to train under the guidance of His Highness Shaikh Khaled Bin Hamad Al Khalifa and the No.1 team in the world, KHK Team Bahrain, and proved to all of us and millions of Egyptians that you can become a World Champion with Brave CF if you want it bad enough that it consumes you.

I’m so happy for him and the team—what a way to end another historic year for us.

Kirik Jenness – BRAVE CF commentator 

My favorite style of fighter is the grind. There are fighters who chase highlights, knockout artists, submission machines, relentless wrestlers, but the highest level, to me, is the grinder. That’s a fighter with the highest level of conditioning, the strongest mind, who relentlessly pressures in all aspects of the game. And that, to me, is BRAVE Combat Federation. 

We opened in Russia, then saw an extraordinary four cards on successive weekends in Kombat Kingdom capped with the ecstatically great BRAVE 50, before pouring into Belarus, Italy, Kazakhstan, Poland, then back to Russia, and before the year is out Serbia. 2021 will end with BRAVE visiting 25 countries across five continents, well ahead of any other promotion on Earth ever in the same span.

Inspired by Shaikh Khalid and led by Mohammed “The Hawk” Shahid, the BRAVE team, I should say the BRAVE family, we charged across the globe, grinding every minute of every hour of every day.

That’s my favorite moment – the grind – and that moment, it lasted all year long.

What was your Favorite BRAVE CF moment of 2021?

Sean Santella Set For Main Event At BRAVE CF 55 After ‘Crazy’ 24 Hours

Two weeks ago, Sean “Shorty Rock” Santella was joking about how if it weren’t for bad luck, he would have no luck at all. However, he may have to rethink that statement after a whirlwind 24 hours saw him go from fighting on the undercard of BRAVE CF 55 to competing in the main event […]

Two weeks ago, Sean “Shorty Rock” Santella was joking about how if it weren’t for bad luck, he would have no luck at all. However, he may have to rethink that statement after a whirlwind 24 hours saw him go from fighting on the undercard of BRAVE CF 55 to competing in the main event against Russian flyweight Ali “Puncher King” Bagautinov.

The pair will clash this Sat. November 6 in Rostov-on-Don, Russia. The bout will double as the main event and the second semi-final of the BRAVE CF flyweight tournament. The winner of Saturday’s clash will meet Russia’s Velimurad Alkhasov in the final for the right to be crowned the inaugural BRAVE CF Flyweight Champion.

“The last 24 hours have been crazy. It’s gonna be an honor to go to battle against one of the greatest flyweights in history,” Santella says.

“I get to fight somebody that I have always looked forward to fighting. I wasn’t sure if I would ever get the opportunity as I always considered him one of the flyweight kingpins next to Demetrius Johnson, so it’s another bucket list thing I can do.

Bagautinov was set to face Jose Torres, who had based himself in Russia in preparation for the bout. Unfortunately, issues with his weight cut meant that Torres was forced to withdraw from the clash, but in 37-year-old Santella, BRAVE CF had the perfect last-minute replacement.

Initially, in the flyweight tournament, Santella fought Torres in the quarter-final, with the bout ending in a draw. The pair were set to rematch at BRAVE CF 49 until an injury saw Santella pull out of the contest and the tournament.

Torres went on to defeat Ireland’s Blaine O’Driscoll to book his semi-final slot against Bagautinov, but now it will be Santella who will lock horns with one of the greats of the flyweight division.

The New Jersey native even feels that the last-minute change of plans will benefit him.

“I’ve said it before, and I will say it again, I don’t think anyone in the world has my style, and it’s impossible to prepare for, especially on 48 hours. I am super excited. I think it’s going to be a great fight,” Santella explains.

Santealla’s only loss at BRAVE CF was against Alkhasov, and even though he does not need any extra motivation ahead of Saturday’s bout, he would relish the chance of going up against Alkhasov one more time.

“Saturday night, my hand will be raised, and I’m going to move on to the finals of the Flyweight tournament to avenge my only loss at BRAVE CF.”

What do you think of this new main event fight?

BRAVE CF 49: Benoit St. Denis Books Title Fight After Submission Win Over Luan Santiago

Benoit St. Denis gets his rand rasied after win over Luan SantiagoBRAVE CF 49 went down today (Thur. March 25) inside the Arad Fort in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Headlining the 11-bout card was a super lightweight title eliminator between Brazil’s Luan Santiago and France’s Benoit St. Denis. Santiago was vocal coming into this matchup about how he thought that St. Denis was a tough fighter […]

Benoit St. Denis gets his rand rasied after win over Luan Santiago

BRAVE CF 49 went down today (Thur. March 25) inside the Arad Fort in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Headlining the 11-bout card was a super lightweight title eliminator between Brazil’s Luan Santiago and France’s Benoit St. Denis.

Santiago was vocal coming into this matchup about how he thought that St. Denis was a tough fighter but lacking experience. The Brazilian came out fast in the opening round but soon found himself on the receiving end of St. Denis’s impressive ground game. After a brief flurry from Santiago, the Frenchman secured the takedown before he went looking for the finish. Santiago survived two rear-naked-choke attempts to make it to the second round. 

However, it was here that his luck ran out with St. Denis locking in an arm-triangle choke: forcing Santiago to tap. The win now means that the 25-year-old’s next bout will be against the division’s reigning champion Eldar Eldarov.

“I always wanted to fight Eldar and I hope we can do it as soon as possible. He’s a great champion, but it’s my goal, my life, I will be the next world champion”, St. Denis said in his post-fight interview.

In the co-main event, Jose “Shorty’ Torres booked his ticket to the BRAVE CF Flyweight Grand Prix semi-finals with a hard-fought unanimous decision victory over SBG’s Blaine O’Driscoll. Torres was initially set to rematch Sean Santella after their previous fight ended in a draw at BRAVE CF 42. The bout was set to main event the card, but an injury forced Santella to withdraw from the contest. 

Ireland’s O’Driscoll then stepped in to face Torres on only eight-days notice. The Irishman made Torres work hard for his win, but when the judge’s scorecards were read out, there was no disputing that Torres was the clear winner on the night.

“I’m excited to face the winner of Ali Bagautinov vs. Dustin Oritz because those were two guys that I was watching even before I started in MMA. It’ll be awesome to fight one of them”, an elated Torres said following the fight.

BRAVE CF’s “Kombat Kingdom” series is set to culminate with BRAVE CF 50, which takes place on Thursday, April 1.

Check out the full results from BRAVE CF 49

  • Super Lightweight – Benoit St. Denis def. Luan Santiago by submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 2
  • Catchweight 61 kg – Jose Torres def. Blaine O’Driscoll by unanimous decision 
  • Middleweight – Ikram Aliskerov def. Miro Jurkovic by submission (kimura) – Round 2
  • Flyweight – Muhammad Mokaev def. Abdul Hussein by unanimous decision 
  • Bantamweight – Gamzat Magomedov def. Matiss Zaharovs via unanimous decision 
  • Bantamweight – Francesco Nuzzi def. Bernardo Sopai by split decision 
  • Middleweight – Chad Hanekom def. Dominic Schober by TKO (leg kick and punches) – Round 2
  • Catchweight 77 kg – Gadzhimusa Gaziev def. Geraldo Coelho by TKO (punches) – Round 3
  • Super Welterweight – Axel Sola def. Kuitty Begaj by submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 1
  • Bantamweight – Frieh Harahsheh def. Glenn McVeigh by submission (guillotine) – Round 1
  • Amateur Catchweight 77 kg – Ali Marhoon def. Hamad Mubarak Saad by submission (triangle choke) – Round 1

Exclusive: Jose Torres Is Ready For A “Brawl” At BRAVE CF 49

Profile shot of Jose TorresJose “Shorty” Torres returns to the cage this week when he takes on SBG’s Blaine O’Driscoll in the co-main event of BRAVE CF 49. The three-round bout will take place on Thursday, Match 25, in the Gulf State of Bahrain. Torres was preparing for a rematch with compatriot Sean Santella after the pair’s BRAVE CF […]

Profile shot of Jose Torres

Jose “Shorty” Torres returns to the cage this week when he takes on SBG’s Blaine O’Driscoll in the co-main event of BRAVE CF 49. The three-round bout will take place on Thursday, Match 25, in the Gulf State of Bahrain.

Torres was preparing for a rematch with compatriot Sean Santella after the pair’s BRAVE CF flyweight Grand Prix quarter-final at BRAVE CF 42 ended in a draw. However, after Santella was struck down with an injury, O’Driscoll put his hand up for a shot against Torres. The Irishman is known for his striking ability, which for Torres is a welcome change after having fought several recent bouts against grapplers.

“It’s honestly been one of the best camps ever. It was focused on Sean Santella, but I have the skills for a standup game. I have the standup skills for Blaine, and it’s exciting to know that I am finally fighting a standup fighter, something I have wanted for years now, at least [since] 2018,” Torres said to LowkickMMA.

“I’m really excited for it. He is a pressure fighter. You know it’s going to be a brawl.”

This will be Torres’s third bout under the BRAVE CF banner, and fortunately for the Chicago-native, his training camp has been relatively untouched by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

“It feels great to be back in the BRAVE cage, it’s been about six months since my last fight, and I have been training ever since, ” Torres exclaimed.

“Luckily, the training hasn’t has been affected at all by Covid. I train with a very small group of people. Myself, Din Thomas, Gillian Robertson, and David Evans is the majority group,” he added.

” I travel to train all the time, and luckily for me, Florida, where I station my camps now, is pretty much an open state. So everything is practically the same.”

The BRAVE CF Flyweight Championship has had a somewhat interesting history of late. The promotion has attempted to crown an inaugural champion on multiple occasions. Still, no fighter has yet been able to lay claim to the vacant title for a variety of reasons. The ongoing Flyweight Grand Prix looks set to change that, and if Torres can get his hand raised against O’Driscoll, he will meet the winner of the Dustin Ortiz – Ali Bagautinov clash, which takes place at BRAVE CF 50.

” Shorty” is aware he will be the heavy favorite against O’Driscoll, but he is not letting his guard down, especially when he knows a title fight could soon be on the line. The 28-year-old has spent enough time in MMA to know the dangers thinking too far ahead can cause a fighter.

” I have my future opponent, which was Sean, and now it’s Blaine, and then next possibly Ali or Dustin Ortiz, and all three are very tough opponents. I have to go one by one, I can’t look past any opponent no matter if it’s last-minute, no matter what his record is,” Torres said.

“Even though I have a resume over this man, it does not mean I am better than him. We will find out March 25.”

Torres has worked too long and hard to let this opportunity to chase some silverware go by. So fans can expect to see “Shorty” come out as focused as he has ever been.

BRAVE CF 48: Full Results

BRAVE CF 48 went down on Thursday, March 18 with the mammoth 14-fight card taking place in the Gulf State of Bahrain. It was the second of four events in the promotion’s Kombat Kingdom series, which sees four events being held over 21 days. In the main event of BRAVE CF 48, French-Algerian Ylies Djiroun […]

BRAVE CF 48 went down on Thursday, March 18 with the mammoth 14-fight card taking place in the Gulf State of Bahrain. It was the second of four events in the promotion’s Kombat Kingdom series, which sees four events being held over 21 days.

In the main event of BRAVE CF 48, French-Algerian Ylies Djiroun submitted Abdul-Rakhman Makhazhiev in the third round of their lightweight clash. It was the 28-year-old’s promotional debut, and the win has immediately established him as a force in BRAVE’s lightweight division.

Djiroun started the stronger of the two, dropping Makhazhiev with a vicious high-kick in the opening frame. However, the Russian was able to regroup and establish his offense in the second stanza before Djiroun stormed back to win it in the third.

In the co-main event, Lebanon’s Ahmed Labban was too good on his feet for Serbia’s Nemanja Kovac. Labban impressive striking skills saw him claim a unanimous decision victory over his opponent in their super lightweight matchup. BRAVE CF is now halfway through its Kombat Kingdom series. The promotion returns on Thursday, March 25 with BRAVE CF 49. It then wraps up the series with BRAVE CF 50 which is scheduled to take place on Thursday, April 1.

Here are the full results for BRAVE CF 48

  • Lightweight: Ylies Djiroun def. Abdul-Rakhman Makhazhiev via submission (guillotine choke) – 3m34s – Round 3
  • Super Lightweight: Ahmed Labban def. Nemanja Kovac by unanimous decision (3x 30-27)
  • Catchweight (77kgs):Olli Santalahti def. Georges Eid by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Bantamweight: Nkosi Ndebele def. Abdelmoumen Msaate by TKO – Round 2
  • Catchweight (88kgs): Murtaza Talha def. Cameron Mentijies by KO – 1m51s – Round 1
  • Catchweight (58.5kg): Azat Maksum def. Michael Aljarouj by KO – 56s – Round 3
  • Featherweight: Yousif Ghrairi def. Hassan Talal by KO (Knee) – 2m53s – Round 3
  • Super Lightweight: Abbas Khan def. Omar El Dafrawy via unanimous decision (3x 30-27)
  • Middleweight: Hassan Fakhreddine def. Eslam Abdel Menem by TKO (body shot) – 3m49s – Round 1
  • Middleweight: Eslam Syaha def. Mohamed Ghorabi by TKO – 2m04s – Round 1
  • Catchweight (70 kgs): Hussein Salem def. Gerson Pereira via TKO – Round 2 – 3m35s
  • Catchweight Bout (59kgs):Maysara Mohamed def. Issa Salem by unanimous decision (3x 29-28)
  • Catchweight (68 kgs): Abdullah Alyaqoob def. Ramyar Luqman by unanimous decision (2x 30-27, 29-28)
  • Lightweight: Mohsen Mohammadseifi def. Bichi Zakaria via TKO – 43s – Round 1