BRAVE CF 74 will see the return of Democratic Republic of Congo’s rising super welterweight star Eliezer ‘King Kong’ Kubanza when he competes against France’s Levy Carriel in Nantes, France, on September 7.
Kubanza introduced himself to the global mixed martial arts world with a brutally explosive first-round head kick to Algeria’s Rayan Atmani at BRAVE CF 72. His performance sent shockwaves around the world and was celebrated in his native DRC and in South Africa, where he now resides. Kubanza’s electric energy and talent have left BRAVE Nation fans hungry for more, and the African star will make a quick turnaround at a milestone event as France will become the 29th nation to host BRAVE CF –reiterating the brand’s title as the most-global MMA promotion.
Kubanza grew up tough, cutting his teeth on the streets of DRC, competing in bare-knuckle fighting before committing himself to the discipline of kickboxing, where he thrived as a dedicated student with 33 victories. He then transitioned to MMA – a shift that would unlock his true potential and star power.
Kubanza’s first amateur MMA fight was at the 2017 IMMAF Africa Open Championships, where he caught the eye of many coaches and officials after beating South African promotional champion Sheldon Victor in the first round of their fight before going on to record the biggest win of his career yet when he became the first athlete – and only one of two fighters since – to beat the world-renowned former three-time IMMAF world champion, Ramazan Gitinov – who is now unbeaten in 31 fights. After winning his first IMMAF gold medal, Kubanza moved to South Africa, where he would continue to thrive on the amateur scene, winning another gold medal and various promotional titles.
In 2019, he returned to the IMMAF Africa Open Championships, securing his second gold medal after beating South Africa’s Riyaad Pandy via knockout in the second round.
After seven wins in 10 fights, Kubanza’s team and support structure felt it was time to unleash ‘King Kong’ into the professional wilderness. Kubanza got his first taste of professional mixed martial arts on the Scuffle Search documentary show that showcased some of Africa’s upcoming talents. On the show, he secured a hat-trick of wins – all coming via knockout.
He then formed part of history when his BRAVE CF debut fight against Atmani confirmed the DRC as the 82nd nation to be represented at BRAVE CF.
Kubanza’s flamboyance at BRAVE CF 72 proved to the BRAVE CF matchmakers why he deserves to be on the most-global MMA platform. That KO win over Atmani became his 11th stoppage and 10th KO in both amateur and professional MMA. With four knockouts in four professional fights, Kubanza is on the verge of not only becoming the DRC’s next big thing, but he also has the opportunity to etch his name into the BRAVE CF history books as one of the greatest to grace the BRAVE CF cage.
BRAVE CF 74 takes place at the H Arena in Nantes. The event will be held in association with Hexagone MMA.
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