MIXED MARTIAL ARTS – BAHRAIN’S mixed martial arts (MMA) hero Hamza Kooheji and British MMA superstar Muhammad Mokaev did not disappoint fans late Friday night, delivering big-time victories to headline BRAVE CF 91, which marked BRAVE Combat Federation’s return to the kingdom in an historic year.
Kooheji outclassed Alperen Karabulut of Turkey, winning via technical knockout in the second round of their catchweight bout, while Mokaev beat Joevincent So of the Philippines via a first-round submission in the same weight class.
Also on the evening, Nicholas Hwende from Zimbabwe had a memorable performance against Nkosi Ndebele of South Africa to capture the BRAVE CF bantamweight title in the evening’s main event, while in a light heavyweight super fight, Ubaidula Tagirov of Russia submitted Abdelliah Azzouzi of Belgium in the first round.
Supreme Council for Youth and Sports first deputy chairman, General Sports Authority chairman, and Bahrain Olympic Committee president Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa attended the event, which packed Khalifa Sports City Arena in Isa Town.
In the most highly anticipated fight of the evening for local MMA fans, Kooheji, the pride of Bahrain, was making his first appearance back in the cage on home soil since recovering from a pair of ACL injuries that kept him sidelined for two years.
Kooheji dominated Karabulut in the co-main event before securing a second-round stoppage victory. Kooheji’s wrestling proved to be the key difference, leaving no room for Karabulut to mount any offense.
With the win, Kooheji extended his most recent winning streak to three fights and announced his return to the BRAVE CF cage in style.
In his post-fight interview in the cage, Kooheji expressed his delight to be back in action and said that he is looking to make the most of his days back fighting.
In a tremendous show of class, Kooheji also chose not to berate Karabulut following his win, even after taking plenty of verbal jabs from his opponent in the lead-up to their bout. Kooheji said that it is not in his character to do this, and that he prefers to uplift the defeated rather than further beat them down.
Meanwhile, Mokaev, the pound-for-pound best undefeated flyweight in the world, completed his comeback to the BRAVE CF stage with a quick first-round submission win against Filipino MMA veteran and BRAVE CF debutant So.
Mokaev hunted for the finish from the opening bell, and once he secured the takedown, the submission came easily for the multiple IMMAF world champion.
With this victory, Mokaev, nicknamed “The Punisher”, improved his pro record to 14 wins and no losses. He is now looking to continue his undefeated run against other opponents.
“It doesn’t matter who turns up, I’m ready for anyone in this division,” Mokaev said during his post-fight interview.
“They can deny but they can’t hide – I’m coming for everyone! I’m the best flyweight in the world, and this makes me only stronger mentally and physically.”
In the main event, Hwende and Ndebele went the full five rounds in a gruelling, action-packed fight, with Hwende overcoming his rival for the BRAVE CF bantamweight championship belt.
Hwende effectively neutralised Ndebele’s reach advantage with his grappling skills. In the final round, Hwende bloodied Ndebele and dominated on the ground to cap off his impressive performance. All three judges scored the fight in favour of Hwende, awarding him a unanimous decision victory.
Elsewhere on Friday night’s card, Dias Erengaipov of Kazakhstan made a strong first impression in his promotional debut in BRAVE CF’s stacked flyweight division, dominating Marciano Ferreira of Brazil over three rounds to secure a unanimous decision victory; and Eliezer Kubanza from DR Congo went the distance, earning a decision win over Zagid Gaidarov of Bahrain in their super welterweight fight.
As reported in yesterday’s GDN, winning in the preliminary card were Sabrina De Sousa, Mohammed Alsameea, and Hussain Al Kurdi, all fighting for Bahrain, along with Kantemir Shibzukhov of Russia.
BRAVE CF 91 was the 11th event of the year for BRAVE Combat Federation, and it was held as part of BRAVE International Combat Week in the kingdom.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
BRAVE CF 91 RESULTS
Light Heavyweight Super Fight: Ubaidulla Tagirov def. Abdelilah Azouzzi defeated Nicholas Hwende via submission (head and arm triangle) at 3m1 by unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47). Alperen Karabulut defeated Muhammad Mokaev by TKO (ground and pound) at 1m23s of R2 Joevincent So via submission (D’arce Choke) at 1m52s of R1
Super Welterweight: Eliezer Kubanza def. Marciano Ferreira 30-27, 30-27, 30-27 Zagid Gaidarov via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Women’s Flyweight: Sabrina de Sousa def. R3
Flyweight division: Mariane Mariano defeated Mohammed Alsameea via submission (armbar) at 4m47s. Salah Walid defeated Hussain Al Kurdi by TKO (knee and punches) at 33s of R2
Lightweight. Seif Shawki via Knockout (knee) at 2m25 of R3
Catchweight: Kantemir Shibzukhov def. Adam Khalilov via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
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