Tag: BRAVE Combat Federation

EXCLUSIVE – Jarrah Al-Silawi Talks Potential Bout With Mohammad Fakhreddine

BRAVE CF 43 is set to go down tomorrow (Thursday, October 1) in the Gulf State of Bahrain. This event will be the third consecutive card that the promotion has staged in Bahrain and draws close to its Kombat Kingdom series. Headlining the event will be a middleweight title clash between Jordan’s Jarrah Al-Silawi and […]

BRAVE CF 43 is set to go down tomorrow (Thursday, October 1) in the Gulf State of Bahrain. This event will be the third consecutive card that the promotion has staged in Bahrain and draws close to its Kombat Kingdom series.

Headlining the event will be a middleweight title clash between Jordan’s Jarrah Al-Silawi and Holland’s Melvin van Suijdam. Al-Silawi is the current BRAVE CF welterweight champion and is competing at middleweight with an eye on a possible title clash between himself and current middleweight champion Mohammad Fakhreddine. 

The two men have shared history, having fought twice before with each man holding a win apiece. Fakhreddine claimed the title in spectacular fashion at BRAVE CF 41 two weeks ago, when he stopped Brazil’s Daniel Souza. However, before Al-Silawi can put his name forward for a title shot, he will need to earn his stripes in the BRAVE CF middleweight division with a win over van Suijdam.

” I’m happy to be here in Bahrain once again. It has been a long time since my last fight, but I am here today, and I can not wait to start this fight, I’ve fought here before, and I won, I’m doing it again now,” Al-Silawi said, speaking to LowKickMMA.

“I was training even during the hardest times, especially with coronavirus. I was training at home by myself, and I had a great camp in Dubai, specifically for this fight. So I am here today and ready to go.

It’s a great fight. I definitely studied my opponent really well, took a lot of notes. I’m confident I’ll be able to handle him. I know how to block every possible move he would make and can’t wait to show it.”

The “Jordanian Lion” is one of the company’s veterans, having fought eight times in BRAVE CF since making his promotional debut at BRAVE CF 2 in 2016. He recaptured his welterweight crown in his last outing when he fought France’s Abdoul Abdouraguimov. He knows that there is a growing list of title contenders at welterweight, but the lure of a trilogy bout with Fakhreddine may be too strong of a temptation for both him and the BRAVE matchmakers to resist.

“I don’t really know what is going to happen,” Al-Silawi commented when asked about future plans.

 “I might defend my title as a welterweight, and I might continue fighting as a middleweight, but I will always be prepared for either. I’m ready for everyone and I mean everyone.”

Regardless of the division, he decides to compete in next. There will be no shortage of matchups in the coming months for one of the Middle East’s most prominent MMA stars.

BRAVE CF 43 Full card:

  • Middleweight: Jarrah Al-Silawi vs. Melvin van Suijdam 
  • Bantamweight: Kasum Kasumov vs. Dimitar Kostov 
  • Lightweight: Abdulrakhman Madhazhiev vs. Abdysalam Kubanychiev
  • Lightweight: Akhmed Shervaniev vs. Arman Popal 
  • Catchweight (59 kg): Muhammad Mokaev vs. Jamie Kelly
  • Featherweight: Anzor Abdulkhozhaev vs. Soheil Davoodi
  • Catchweight (67 kg): Tae Kyun Kim vs. Arturo Chavez
  • Featherweight:  Mehmosh Raza vs. Calum Murrie 

BRAVE CF’s Muhammad Mokaev Returns at BRAVE CF 43

Rising MMA star Muhammad Mokaev returns this week when he takes on England’s Jamie Kelly in a bantamweight bout at BRAVE CF 43, which takes place in the Gulf State of Bahrain, on Thursday, October 1. Mokaev, a junior IMMAF world champion, made his pro debut in August at BRAVE CF 37, where he defeated […]

Rising MMA star Muhammad Mokaev returns this week when he takes on England’s Jamie Kelly in a bantamweight bout at BRAVE CF 43, which takes place in the Gulf State of Bahrain, on Thursday, October 1.

Mokaev, a junior IMMAF world champion, made his pro debut in August at BRAVE CF 37, where he defeated Northern Ireland’s, Glen McVeigh. The Russian-born fighter is regarded as one of the sports top prospects and recently inked a deal with Paradign Management, home to the likes of Conor McGregor and Israel Adesanya.

On Thursday, he will make his second trip to the BRAVE cage and is well aware that he will be facing his biggest test to date in Kelly. The 21-year-old Mancunian has a 3-0 pro record with all his wins coming via TKO in the opening round.

Mokaev, who arrived in the UK as a refugee when he was aged 12, from Dagestan, has fought on the same card as Kelly and predicts the fight will generate a lot of interest from the UK fans.

“In my fourth amateur fight, we fought on the same card. He was in the undercard, and I was fighting for the title,” Mokaev said when contacted by Lowkick MMA.

“He was fighting just to fight. He had some nice finishes in the amateur scene, and now he has three fights and three finishes as a professional. I think it’s a good matchup, interesting for the fans, especially UK fans and European fans. Two undefeated fighters and everyone wants to see me in a challenge, so this is for my fans. “

When he decided to turn pro, Mokaev turned down offers from promotions such as ONE and Bellator to go with BRAVE CF. He credits his close relationship with BRAVE’s founder as one reason he signed with the Bahrain based promotion.

“My loyalty to Shaikh Khaled made me sign for BRAVE CF. I’ve competed under IMMAF for a long time, and I’ve been watching BRAVE CF since 2016. So I’ve been on their radar, and I grew up under BRAVE CF’s eyes. So my relationship is different from other organizations.”

Mokaev aims to compete in BRAVE’s flyweight and bantamweight divisions and has been keeping an eye of the BRAVE Flyweight Grand Prix, which began last week. He is already eyeing up a clash with former Bellator bantamweight champion, Zach Makovsky, who competes in the BRAVE flyweight division.

“Eventually, I will fight Zach Makovsky. And I believe it will happen next year.”

However, before he can begin planning out matchups with the likes of Makovsky, he first needs to get past a determined and focused Jamie Kelly.

Will you be watching BRAVE CF 43?

BRAVE CF 42: Jose Torres & Sean Santella Clash Ends In Draw

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 […]

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 42: Full Card, Start Time & How To Watch

BRAVE CF 42 goes down today (Thur. September 24) with the six-fight card taking place inside the Bahrain National Stadium, Bahrain. This event is the second of three consecutive events the promotion is holding in the Gulf State, with BRAVE CF 43 scheduled for October 1. BRAVE CF 42 will feature the opening round of […]

BRAVE CF 42 goes down today (Thur. September 24) with the six-fight card taking place inside the Bahrain National Stadium, Bahrain. This event is the second of three consecutive events the promotion is holding in the Gulf State, with BRAVE CF 43 scheduled for October 1.

BRAVE CF 42 will feature the opening round of the BRAVE CF Flyweight Grand Prix. The promotion has been trying for some time to crown its inaugural flyweight champion. However, injuries, fighters missing weight, and unforeseen withdrawals have meant the title has remained unclaimed.

In the main-event, compatriots Sean Santella and Jose Torres will square off in their flyweight quarterfinal clash. Santella is a veteran of the US regional scene, while Torres only has one loss on his record and is eager to stamp his mark as one of the world’s top flyweights. Before they do battle, Brazil’s Flavio Queiroz and Russia’s Velimurad Alkhasov will meet in the co-main event in the nights other Grand Prix matchup.

The Alkhasov-Queiroz clash winner will face former Bellator bantamweight champion Zach Makovsky, who advanced to the semi-finals after his opponent, Abdul Hussein, was struck down by illness. Alkhasov’s first and only loss of his career came at Makovsky’s hands back in January at BRAVE CF 34, when he lost via split decision. The Chechen fighter would no doubt love to rematch Makovsky, as well as earning another shot at the title. Alkhasov fought for the belt back at BRAVE CF 18, where he defeated his opponent Marcel Adur but was ineligible to claim the title due to him missing weight.

The seven bout card kicks off at 12:00 pm (EST) and can be watched by US fans on Fite or the Fight Network.

Full Card:

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

BRAVE CF 41: Mohammad Fakhreddine Captures Middleweight Title

After having his house burn down, fights canceled, and battling injuries, Mohammad Fakhreddine finally has something to smile about in 2020. Today, the 36-year-old captured the BRAVE CF middleweight championship from Brazil’s championship Daniel’ Gaucho’ Pereira, with the Lebanese fighter sealing the deal via a fourth-round TKO stoppage. From the outset, Fakhreddine pushed forward, looking […]

After having his house burn down, fights canceled, and battling injuries, Mohammad Fakhreddine finally has something to smile about in 2020. Today, the 36-year-old captured the BRAVE CF middleweight championship from Brazil’s championship Daniel’ Gaucho’ Pereira, with the Lebanese fighter sealing the deal via a fourth-round TKO stoppage.

From the outset, Fakhreddine pushed forward, looking to dictate the pace of the bout. Pereira tried but was unable to land the knockout punch he was after. By the end of the third, the Brazilian’s gas tank was running on empty and the right side of his face had taken heavy damage. Fakhreddine, sensing his moment poured on the pressure in the fourth. He dropped Pereira with a clean right to the head. He was then able to fire off a volley of strikes to his grounded opponent before the referee called a halt to the contest.

In the co-main event, Russia’s Ikram Aliskerov returned to the winner’s circle with a third-round submission victory over BRAVE debutant Denis Tiuliulin. Aliskerov controlled the middleweight contest from start to finish as he racked up his tenth career victory. The 27-year-old’s win puts him in pole position for a shot at Fakhreddine’s title.

Earlier in the evening, English lightweight Sam Patterson threw his name into title contention with an opening-round knockout of Brazil’s Felipe Silva. Patterson started slowly but exploded midway through the round when he landed a perfectly timed punch to Silva’s jaw. During his post-fight interview, he called out the current BRAVE CF lightweight champion Cleiton “Predator” Silva.

However, he may have a rival for that shot in Egypt’s Ahmed Amir, who overcame Ireland’s Cian Cowley via unanimous decision in a super lightweight contest. This loss was Cowley’s fourth straight defeat under the BRAVE CF banner. It will be interesting to see where he goes from here. After the fight, Amir also called out the ‘Predator,’ but it could be a three-way race between him, Patterson, and New Zealand’s John Brewin for the next lightweight title shot.

Full Results:

  • Middleweight Title: Mohammad Fakhreddine def. Daniel Pereira via TKO, R4
  • Middleweight: Ikram Aliskerov def. Denis Tiuliulin via Submission (kimura), R3
  • Lightweight: Sam Patterson def. Felipe Silva via KO, R1
  • Super Lightweight: Ahmed Amir def. Cian Cowley via Unanimous Decision
  • Flyweight: Magomed Idrisov def. John Cris Corton via Unanimous Decision
  • Bantamweight: Rahmatullah Yousufzai def. Abdulmanap Magomedov via KO, R1
  • Bantamweight Amateur: Abdulla Alyaqoob def. Umed Urfonov via Unanimous Decision

BRAVE CF 41 Full Card, Start Time & How To Watch

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 […]

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