BRAVE Combat Federation made history in Lahore, Pakistan, with BRAVE CF 85. It was the first time India vs. Pakistan MMA fights were held in the country. In the Featherweight main event, Rauan Bekbolat of Kazakhstan shocked everyone by submitting Omar Solomanov in the third round. Bekbolat ended the Ukrainian’s 11-fight winning streak with a guillotine choke. This victory made Bekbolat the top contender in the Featherweight division, extending his own winning streak to five fights.
India vs. Pakistan
The co-main event saw a heated India vs. Pakistan battle between Srikant Sekhar and Rizwan Ali. Srikant dominated the first two rounds with top control. Rizwan fought back with strikes from the bottom and attempted two submissions in the second round. Both fighters were tired in the third round, but Rizwan landed a powerful right hand that dropped Srikant. Rizwan celebrated in the cage as Srikant was carried out on a stretcher.
Kubanza Dominance
Eliezer Kubanza continued his streak of first-round finishes in BRAVE CF, knocking out Salamat Orozakunov with heavy punches. Kubanza, now 6-0, called out Alex Lohoré for his next fight. The rising star of Congo went full steam ahead with confidence against the special forces veteran.
In the first India vs. Pakistan MMA fight on Pakistani soil, Zia Mashwani made history by submitting Indian veteran Bharat Khandare in the first round. Mashwani was aggressive from the start, locking in a triangle choke to secure the win. Ismail Khan had a strong BRAVE CF debut, submitting Kazakh World Wrestling Championship medalist Bagylan Zahakansha in the second round. After his victory, Ismail called for an India vs. Pakistan matchup in his next BRAVE CF fight.
Lasha Abramishvili also impressed in his promotional debut, stopping Muhammad Idrisov in the second round. Marwin Quirante delivered a stunning front kick knockout against Pakistan’s Aqib Awan within seconds of their Flyweight bout. Pakistan’s Abbas Khan returned to BRAVE CF with a dominant performance, winning by unanimous decision against Adham Mohamed after controlling the clinch for three rounds. Murad Guseinov extended his undefeated streak with a first-round TKO against Ruslan Serikpulov, securing his eighth straight win.
Mojtaba Nasiri kicked off the night with the first-ever Von Flue choke in BRAVE CF history, submitting Yuki Angdembe, the first Nepalese fighter in the promotion. This was Nasiri’s fifth consecutive submission win and his second victory in BRAVE CF. BRAVE CF 85 was the organization’s fifth event of the year, following shows in Slovenia, Mauritius, the Netherlands, and China. The next event from the organization, BRAVE CF 86, is scheduled for August 24 in Bulgaria.
BRAVE CF 85 Results
- Featherweight: Rauan Bekbolat def. Omar Solomanov (66kg) via Submission – Round 3
- Lightweight: Rizwan Ali def. Srikant Sekhar via KO – Round 3
- Super Welterweight: Eliezer Kubanza def. Salamat Orozakunov via TKO (punches) – Round 1
- Flyweight: Ismail Khan def. Bagylan Zakhansha via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2
- Bantamweight: Lasha Abramishvili def. Muhammad Idrisov via TKO (Punches) – Round 2
- Bantamweight: Zia Mashwani def. Bharat Khandare via submission (triangle choke) – Round 1
- Flyweight: Marwin Quirante def. Aqib Awan via KO (front kick) – Round 1
- Super Lightweight: Abbas Khan def. Adham Mohamed via unanimous decision (3×30-27)
- Super Lightweight: Murad Guseinov def. Ruslan Serikpulov via TKO (punches) – Round 1
- Bantamweight: Mojtaba Nasiri def. Yuki Angdembe via submission (von flue choke) – Round 3
