BRAVE Combat Federation made its debut in Bulgaria on Saturday night, delivering an action-packed event for fans in the arena and around the world.
Return of Maalem
In the main event, Mohammed Said Maalem claimed victory in front of a passionate crowd. He rebounded from his loss at BRAVE CF 81 by stopping Bulgarian veteran Atanas Djambazov in the third round. The opening round featured a battle of strength as both fighters fought for control. By the second round, Djambazov showed signs of fatigue but continued to defend. In the third round, Said Maalem took advantage of Djambazov’s exhaustion and secured a decisive finish.
Alex Lohoré secured his second consecutive first-round finish in BRAVE CF by stopping Bulgaria’s Jivko Stoimenov in the co-main event. Lohoré landed a powerful uppercut that dropped Stoimenov, then followed up with strikes until the referee stopped the fight. After his win, Lohoré expressed interest in a Super Welterweight title shot and mentioned a possible challenge against Kamal Magomedov.
The bout between Pavel Vladev and Christian Mach was a wild one. Vladev aimed for a quick finish, but Mach’s grappling skills kept him at bay. Vladev nearly secured a ground-and-pound stoppage at the end of the first round but ran out of time. In the second round, a similar pattern emerged, but this time, Vladev finished the fight with ground and pound just before the round ended, extending his winning streak to six.
Khamzat Maaev Returns
Khamzat Maaev returned to the win column with a first-round submission victory over Antonio Bushev. Maaev applied pressure from the start, giving Bushev no chance to mount an offense before securing a triangle choke. This was Maaev’s fifth first-round finish in his MMA career, marking a strong comeback after his first professional loss at BRAVE CF 79.
Six-time Amateur MMA champion Rusi Minev continued his professional career with a dominant performance, outclassing Christos Tsirimokos over three rounds with superior grappling. Minev handed Tsirimokos, who was previously undefeated, his first professional MMA loss.
The catchweight bout between Gabriel Gilthon and Eduard Evdokimov was a classic grappler vs. striker matchup filled with high-energy action. A powerful liver kick followed by strikes in the third round gave Evdokimov the stoppage win.
In the opening fight, Anton Yanchev delivered a dominant performance, securing a first-round submission victory to remain undefeated. This was Yanchev’s third consecutive win by stoppage, with strong support from the crowd.
BRAVE CF 86 reinforced BRAVE Combat Federation’s position at the top of European MMA and its status as the most global MMA organization in the world.
Next, BRAVE CF heads to the Netherlands for BRAVE CF 87 on September 22. Six days later, BRAVE CF 88 will take over Ljubljana, Slovenia, for a world title doubleheader.
BRAVE CF 86 Results:
- Light Heavyweight: Said Maalem def. Atanas Djambazov via TKO (punches) – 3m15s – Round 3
- Super Welterweight – Alex Lohoré def. Jivko Stoimenov via KO (punches) – 4m03s – Round 1
- Lightweight: Pavel Vladev def. Christian Mach via TKO (strikes) – 4m50s – Round 2
- Super Lightweight: Khamzat Maaev def. Antonio Bushev via submission (triangle choke) – 1m50s – Round 1
- Lightweight: Rusi Minev def. Christos Tsirimokos via unanimous decision (3x 30-27)
- Catchweight 68kg – Eduard Evdokimov def. Gabriel Gilthon via TKO (Strikes) – 2m59s – Round 3
- Lightweight: Anton Yanchev def. Patryk Krzak via submission (rear-naked choke) – 2m47s – Round 1
