The preparation is complete, the weight cut is over, and the cage is set up for what will be Slovenia’s largest MMA event when BRAVE CF 70 / WFC 25 rolls out in Slovenia, this evening.
Fighters had a chance to size up their opponents in the BRAVE CF 70 / WFC 25 ceremonial weigh-ins and face-offs in the nation’s capital Ljubljana.
While emotions ran high, respect was the order of the day as all athletes came in the right spirit to officially look their competitors in the eye one last time before BRAVE CF’s 20th event in Europe. With 15 out of 16 athletes all making weight, the stand-out moment of the show was between the co-main event athletes as Super Welterweights Andreas Gustafsson Berg and Joilton Lutterbach both brought an intense energy to the stage.
Lutterbach presented a beautiful moment when he removed his T-shirt before offering it to a young fight fan who could not contain his excitement after receiving the world-renowned athlete’s fight paraphernalia. Lutterbach then got straight into competitive mode as he got up close and personal with Gustafsson Berg, who refused to back down as the warriors started chirping each other before words boiled over into light headbutts, forcing BRAVE CF President Mohammed Shahid and security to step in to separate the gladiators who then respectfully parted ways with a handshake.
In the main event, Light Heavyweight Marko Drmonjic remained calm and collected as he stepped up to face Europe’s KO machine Erko Jun in what would be Drmonjic’s last face-off after 21 fights. Jun showed great emotional intelligence and reciprocated with respect before greeting the Slovenian MMA athlete who makes his swansong tonight in front of his beloved Slovenian fans.
Earlier, true to form, Jordan’s Bantamweight Izzedine Al-Derbani did not let his failed weight cut deter him from getting the local fight fans on their toes with his big energy as he stepped onto the stage before taunting his Colombian opponent by blowing kisses at him, sharing words with BRAVE CF Road to BRAVE CF winner. As they were separated “The Palestinian Samurai” blurted out his trademark roar, which got a strong reaction from the Ljubljana crowd present. At the official weigh-ins, Al-Derbani came in a kilogram over the weight limit forfeiting 20 per cent of his fight purse to Mora.
In the Heavyweight division, Danylo Kartavyi and Miha Frlic supplied the locals with the first taste of what to expect tonight as the “Big Boys” produced an intense stare-down with Ukraine’s Kartavyi towering above his Slovenian opponent.
l The BRAVE CF 70 starts at 8.30pm Bahrain Time and will be available on YouTube, BRAVE CF TV App, DAZN, Okko, StarTimes, Bahrain TV, SABC Sports, and Kanal A.
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