Tag: BRAVE CF

BRAVE CF officially launched its second Kombat Kingdom series last week, with BRAVE CF 47: Asian Domination taking place on Thursday, March 11. The Bahrain-based promotion has a further three events scheduled to occur over the next two and a half weeks. BRAVE CF 48 is scheduled for this Thursday, followed by BRAVE CF 49 and 50 taking place on March 25 and April 1 respectively.

Since its inception in 2016, BRAVE CF has marched to the beat of its own drum as it has looked to establish itself in the highly-competitive world of MMA. From the start, the company’s focus has been on building a promotion truly global in nature and scope.

It has achieved this by signing a diverse roster of fighters and staging events in countries like Colombia, Romania, and India, where MMA is still in its infancy. BRAVE CF has also collaborated with several smaller MMA promotions, including Latin Fighting Championship, RXF, and Krepost Selection, to help establish MMA in new territories. It is these achievements that BRAVE CF President Mohammad Shahid takes pride in when looking back over the past four years.

“I don’t consider the number 50 as a milestone; it’s what we have accomplished with 50 events that gives meaning to the name BRAVE,” Shahid said to LowkickMMA.

“Traveling to 21 countries in 5 continents. Uniting the private sector and empowering the government body for MMA in every country we go,making the biggest amateur world championships and allowing [fans] the opportunity to see special talents like [ Muhammad] Mokaev, Shorty Torres, and Ramazan Gimbatov. But most of all, the seed that was put in the MMA industry to show that it’s time for this sport to take a new turn towards entering into the sports business from the event business. “

One area where BRAVE CF wanted to place a strong focus on was its scouting programs. MMA promotions are only as good as the fighters on the roster; the greatest marketing team in the world cannot cover-up a shallow talent pool. So, with this in mind, BRAVE CF set about creating an extensive and sophisticated network of scouts crisscrossing the globe in search of the best up-and-coming talent.

“Sports is always based on a structure where the scouting program has been the key to success. Not a team of matchmakers, whatever that means, looking at how marketable they are, their language and many other non-sports factors. We have established a global network of BRAVE CF scouting agents and a structure with 78 experts currently around the world scouting for BRAVE CF,” Shahid explained.

The program has already produced one bonafide star in the figure of Khamzat Chimaev. The Chechen fighter fought four times under the BRAVE CF banner before the UFC snapped him up. Chimaev may have been the first star the program unearthed, but he is unlikely to be the last. The work that BRAVE CF is putting in now could pay huge dividends in the future, especially as rising prospects like Muhammad Mokaev began to establish themselves on the world stage.

When asked what regions of the globe could be the next-in-line to produce future MMA stars, Shahid commented.

“Middle East, 100% and Africa I think are [ the next] areas. Although we see a few [other regions] are still heavily untapped, that’s how low global scouting programs of every other promotions are.”

When Covid-19 struck, BRAVE CF, like sports organizations worldwide, was forced to regroup and rethink its 2020 strategy. After starting the year with January’s BRAVE CF 34, the company had to wait six months before restarting its engine. However, when it did spark back into life, it did so in a major way. The promotion staged six shows in almost as many weeks with back-to-back events in Romania, followed up with four consecutive cards in Sweden.

The promotion then held its first-ever Kombat Kingdom series, which fittingly took place in the Kingdom of Bahrain. It was an impressive comeback, especially as it involved multiple countries and continents.

“It’s always challenging when we are facing the unknown. To be able to push through the pandemic doing events in Europe, more than any promotion, and establishing the Kombat Kingdom here in Bahrain is always a blessing,” Shahid said, speaking about the work him and his team undertook to get BRAVE CF up and running again.

The world may not be back to normal, but BRAVE CF appears to have found its groove. The company is regularly signing fresh talent as well as announcing new events. It will be interesting to see where BRAVE CF finds itself by the time BRAVE CF 100 comes around.

BRAVE CF kicked off its Kombat Kingdom series this week, with BRAVE CF 47 laying down the gauntlet for the next three shows. The 10-card bout was filled with brutal KO’s, stunning submissions, and an impressive comeback.

The most notable was a walk-away KO by Abdul-Azim Badakhshi, who sent Agshin Babayev crashing to the canvas with a devasting right hook in the final stages of the opening round of their featherweight clash. It was an impressive performance from the Afghan fighter, making only his second appearance inside the BRAVE CF cage.

On a normal night, Badakhshi would have no competition for bragging rights around the best stoppage of the night. However, only two bouts prior India’s Mohammed Farhad defeated Pakistan’s Uloomi Karim with a jaw-dropping straight right, stopping his opponent right in his tracks.

Kyrgyzstan’s Nemat Abdrashitov scored the ‘comeback of the night’ after finishing Russia’s Anzor Abdukhozhaev via second-round TKO. The 29-year-old found himself in dangerous waters half-way through the second-round after Abdukhozhaev appeared to lock in a game-winning ninja-choke. However, Abdrashitov was able to escape the Russian’s clutches and fire back with a powerful right hook, leading to his victory.

In the evening’s main event, Kyrgyzstan’s Abdisalam Kubanychbek racked up a comprehensive win over Rolando Dy of the Philippines. Kubanychbek’s offense overpowered Dy, with the former UFC fighter’s corner throwing in the towel at the end of the second. The win means that Kubanychbek’s next bout will be for the BRAVE CF lightweight strap, currently held by Amin Ayoub. Still, Ayoub will first need to retain his title when the 25-year-old defends his strap against Egypt’s Ahmed Amir in the co-main event of BRAVE CF 50.

Here are the full Results for BRAVE CF 47: Asian Domination

• Lightweight: Abdisalam Kubanychbek def. Rolando Dy via TKO (corner stoppage) – Between Rounds 2 and 3.
• Featherweight: Tae Kyun Kim def. Husein Kadimagomaev by TKO – Round 3
• Super Welterweight: Nursulton Ruziboev def. Ibrahim Mane via knockout (slam) – Round 1
• Catchweight (68 kg): Nemat Abdrashitov def. Anzor Abdukhozhaev by TKO – Round 2
• Featherweight: Abdul-Azim Badakhshi def. Agshin Babayev via KO – Round 1
• Flyweight: Ryskulbek Ibraimov def. Jenel Lausa by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
• Bantamweight: Mohammed Farhad def. Uloomi Karim by knockout – Round 2
• Catchweight (63 kg): Ali Guliev def. Rana Rudra by TKO – 1m34s – Round 1
• Amateur Flyweight: Mohammed Zuhair def. Wissam Sandakli via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2
• Amateur Lightweight: Hussain Muhammad def. Raymond Rizk by TKO – Round 2

BRAVE CF 42 went down today (Thur. September 24) inside the Bahrain National Stadium, Bahrain. The six-fight card featured the start of the BRAVE CF Flyweight Grand Prix Tournament.

In the main event Jose Torres and Sean Santella locked horns in their flyweight quarter-final clash. The bout ended in a majority draw. The opening round belonged to Santella, with the second degree BJJ black belt veteran controlling Torres on the ground. The veteran flyweight took Torres down twice. Torres escaped with relative ease on the first occasion, but the second time he was taken down, Santella locked in a heel-hook and went looking for the finish, but Torres survived to hear the sound of the bell.

The second-round was similar to the first. Santella’s BJJ continued to cause Torres problems, especially after the 35-year-old took the back of his opponent before unsuccessfully going in search of a rear-naked choke.

The pair went into the third with Torres down by two and needing a stoppage to win the fight. The Din Thomas trained fighter finally hit his stride when he needed it most, with his shots beginning to find a home. After two near-perfect rounds, Santella began to tire, allowing Torres to dominate proceedings.

Despite not getting the stoppage, Torres did enough in two of the judges’ eyes to earn a 10-8 round and walk away with a draw, much to Santella’s disappointment. 

” I feel like I won the first two rounds pretty decisively,” Santella said in his post-fight interview.

“The third-round, I clearly lost. The judges decided to make it a 10-8, so to me, it is very disappointing. Personally, I knew I gave up the round, but I didn’t think he caused enough damage for a 10-8.”

“I started way too late. Could I have done that third-round in the first-round? Maybe, but he pulled guard really well,” Torres said, speaking about the matchup.

In the post-fight show, it was revealed the two men are to fight in a rematch in order to determine who gets to move forward in the Grand Prix.

In the co-main event, Russia’s Velimurad Alkhasov and Brazil’s Flavio Queiroz faced off in their grand prix quarter-final clash. Alkhasov looked sharp on his way to a unanimous decision victory. 

The Russian’s ground and pound was impressive, and he is now set to face former Bellator bantamweight champion, Zach Makovsky. The American advanced to the semifinals after his opponent Abdul Hussein missed weight. It will be the second meeting between Alkhasov and Makovsky after Makovsky earned a split decision victory when they first fought back in January.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling to go through this fight and go through to the semifinal of this great grand Prix,” Alkhasov said, speaking post-fight.

“This is a great chance [to fight Makovsky], as people still think I won that fight, and this is a great opportunity for revenge, and I hope that I beat him in the semifinal.”

Earlier in the night, former UFC fighter Rolando Dy began his BRAVE CF tenure with a split decision victory over Poland’s Maciej Gierszewski.

Full Results:

• Flyweight Grand Prix Quarter-Final: Sean Santella vs. Jose Torres – Majority Draw. 
• Flyweight Grand Prix Quarter-Final: Velimurad Alkhasov def. Flavio Queiroz via Unanimous Decision
• Catchweight (63 kg): Hamza Kooheji def. Aidan James via Split Decision
• Welterweight: Ibrahim Mane def. David Jacobsson via Unanimous Decision
• Lightweight: Rolando Dy def. Maciej Gierszewski via Split Decision 
• Amateur Featherweight: Ali Yaqoob def. Ariz Ahmed via Unanimous Decision 

BRAVE CF returns this week with BRAVE CF 41 taking place tomorrow (Thur. September 17) inside the Bahrain National Stadium, Bahrain. The event will be the first of three consecutive shows in the Gulf State of Bahrain, with BRAVE CF 42 and BRAVE CF 43 scheduled to occur on September 24 and October 1.

Headlining this week’s event is a middleweight title clash with reigning champion Daniel ‘Gaucho’ Pereira facing off against Mohammad Fakhreddine. Gaucho will be making the first defense of his title after stopping South Africa’s Chad Hanekom last December. The heavy-hitting Brazilian will have his hands full in Fakhreddine. The Lebanese athlete is an aggressive fighter who has only gone the distance twice in his career. At 36-years-of-age this could be the last time Fakhreddine has shot at the title, so expect to see fireworks in the opening round.

The co-main event will feature an all-Russian middleweight clash between Denis Tiuliulin and Ikram Aliskerov. This bout will be Aliskerov’s first fight back since a devastating KO loss to Khamzat Chimaev in August of 2019. The 27-year-old, who was undefeated at the time, was regarded as one of the promotions rising stars, and there will be a lot of interest in how he performs on return. 

Ireland’s Cian Cowley will also be under pressure to get a win under his belt when he meets Egypt’s Ahmed Amir in a super lightweight clash. The SBG fighter started his BRAVE CF career in 2018 with back to back victories. However, since then, he has gone on a run of three straight losses. This will be his debut at super lightweight, and it will be interesting to see if the change makes any difference to his fortune.

The night’s opening bout will be an amateur bout featuring the highly touted Bahrain prospect Abdulla Alyaqoob. The KHK MMA fighter is trained by the BRAVE CF super lightweight champion Eldar Eldarov and will take on Tajikistan’s Umed Urfonov.

The seven bout card kicks off at 11:00 am (EST) and can be watched by US fans on Fite or the Fight Network.

Full Card:

• Middleweight title – Daniel Pereira vs Mohammad Fakhreddine
• Middleweight – Denis Tiuliulin vs Ikram Aliskerov
• Lightweight – Felipe Silva vs Sam Patterson
• Super Lightweight – Cian Cowley vs Ahmed Amir 
• Flyweight – John Cris Corton vs Magomed Idrisov 
• Catchweight 63 kg – Rahmatullah Yousufzai vs Abdulmanap Magomedov
• Bantamweight Amateur – Abdulla Alyaqoob vs Umed Urfonov