Brave 9: The Kingdom of Champions lived up to its billing after the stacked event delivered one crazy, highlight-filled fight after another, as the event produced two new champions in what truly was a history-making night.
Ottman Azaitar Vs Alejandro Martínez
Ottman Azaitar ended Brave 9: The Kingdom of Champions by reasserting himself as a top star in the sport, turning his lightweight championship bout against Martínez into an all-out war Friday night. Azaitar held an undefeated record, and the dominant champ was adamant that he will remain undefeated when he crossed paths with the man who vowed to finish him.
A jaw-dropping body kick in the third round left Pato grounded, and Azaitar was announced the winner of Brave’s Inaugural Lightweight Title.
Stephen Loman Vs Gurdarshan Mangat
It only took Stephen Loman one round to stop Gurdarshan Mangat and make history in becoming the first Brave Combat Federation Bantamweight champion. In his 12-fight professional career, this was Loman’s first ever shot at a title. But if the Filipino native had any sort of nerves going into the title bout, he sure didn’t show it. Loman picked apart Mangat and finished him via TKO at the first stanza of what was planned to be a 5-round title fight.
Jarrah Al Selawi Vs Carl Booth
Jarrah Al Selawi got a taste of revenge, beating Carl Booth in their rematch on the main card of Brave 9 on Friday night. Al Selawe edged Booth in a majority decision, gaining the judges’ scores in his favor. The rivalry between Jarrah Al Selawe and Carl Booth made huge headlines before the event, and has been running since 2014 when Booth handed Selawi his first professional loss. Intensified by heated weigh-in altercations, the animosity came to a boiling point when the two met in a highly-anticipated rematch on Friday night, with Al Selawi getting his redemption in a dominant fashion.
Alan Omer Vs Gesias Cavalcante
Former UFC fighter Alan Omer TKO’d newly signed veteran Gesias Cavalcante in the third round of their Brave 9 main card encounter. Omer made his promotion debut for Brave in April, beating Robbie Peralta via submission in the third round. In his second Brave appearance, Omer faced one of the toughest challenges of his career in Gesias Cavalcante. Yet, his UFC level skill and experience helped him translate his efforts into victory. With a combined record of over 50 fights, it’s safe to say that these two fighters have surpassed the level of just being veterans of the sport.
Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady Vs Erick “Índio Brabo”
Abdulkareem Al Selwady has continued his rise up the lightweight ranks at Brave Combat Federation, defeating Erick Silva in what was his biggest test to date. The 22-year old never ceases to impress from fight to fight, and has a long and fruitful road ahead of him as he patiently marches to top the ranks. Currently riding a four fight winning streak, 3 of which under the Brave banner, Abdulkareem has cemented himself as a force to be reckoned with, and the next year will bring new attention to Al Selwady. With the win, Al Selwady improved his record to 8-1.
Mohammad Fakhreddine Vs Tahar Hadbi
Sometimes in MMA, things happen that are simply painful to watch. Fakhreddine X Hadbi is certainly one of those things. Amidst a grueling exchange of blows, Mohammad Fakhreddine was hit with one of the hardest kicks to the groin, resulting in a no-contest for the grudge match. The moment it happened, Fakhreddine fell to the canvas and writhed in pain. The kick was so hard, in fact, he was stretchered out of the cage and hospitalized. Gladly, Fakhreddine was released from the hospital shortly after his admission, with reports that no lasting or permanent damage was done.
A big upset to the fans who were thirsty for a bloody end to the Fakhreddine X Hadbi feud.
Hamza Kooheji vs Mohammad Farhad
Bahrain’s golden boy Hamza Kooheji had the pressure of fighting in front of a home crowd against a 12 fight seasoned fighter in Mohammad Farhad, and he delivered. After a raging exchange of take-downs and submission attempts, all three judges awarded the win to Kooheji who capitalized on his refined ground skills. The Bahraini native was looking for the big victory to extend his professional record to 6-1.
Elsewhere in a knockout-filled under-card, Brazilian standout Felipe Efrain TKO’d Nawras Abzakh in the first, Frans Mlambo TKO’s Michael Deiga-Scheck in the first, Ikram Aliskerov KO’d Jeremy Smith in the first, Hardeep Rai KO’d Sam Patterson via in the first, Charlie Leary KO’d Daniele Scatizzi in the third, and Jalal Al Daaja TKO’d Jeremy Pacatiw in the first.
Fans were also in for intense three-round battles in which Ahmed Amir edged Erick Carlsson for a close decision win, and Haider Farman topped Atif Mohammed for a Unanimous Decision.
Arguably one of the best — if not the best card ever — Brave 9 lived up to the hype on all fronts, and having it go down in its hometown Bahrain as part of the IMMAF fueled Combat Week added a special element to the overall success.
