Another fight that has been added to the bantamweight division of the Brave Combat Federation event to take place in November, Brave 9: The Kingdom of Champions, is the bout between the undefeated Circassian/Jordanian local Arab superstar, Nawras “The Honey Badger” Abzakh, against the Brazilian international fighter Felipe Efrain.
Pitted against a high caliber international fighter with a 10-2 professional record, we talked to Abzakh and his team’s head coach, Timour Narmouq of Team Narmouq.
While discussing the fight, Abzakh was cool and calm, claiming that this fight is no different than any other fight that he has previously had.
Nawras Abzakh:
“It’s just a fight like any other. I’m completely ready for it. We watched his previous fights and I don’t really expect anything special from him.”
Seemingly focused on the fight at hand, Nawras assured us that he is going to maintain a high level performance that will guarantee his cherished undefeated record remain intact.
Nawras Abzakh:
“Expect to see a great performance at Brave 9: The Kingdom of Champions. I will do everything to get the victory. I don’t care who he is or where he’s coming from, I will keep my record and remain undefeated.”
Though Nawras seemed a little indifferent about his opponent, coach Timour Narouq painted a slightly different, and perhaps more technical picture of Felipe.
Timour Narmouq:
“I believe that this is the most challenging opponent that Nawras has been matched up against so far. He has a lot of experience and good wrestling. However, I don’t think his wrestling is going to be a threat to Nawras. I think the only real advantage he has are his heavy hands. Other than that, I think that Nawras is faster and has better BJJ.”
Talking with coach Timour, we requested to know what the most daring part of Abzakh’s training camp was and what his thoughts about someone as recognized as Efrain Abzakh’s in the mixed martial arts circuit were.
Timour Narmouq:
“The worst thing for us is that this fight came by short notice. Nawras stepped up to fight as a substitute and we’ve just had around a month and a half to prepare. However, that doesn’t mean that Nawras has any less chance for victory. Felipe Efrain is the kind of opponent that we want. He is well known in Brazil and has a good international reputation.”
Finally, we were curious about what coach Timour Narmouq thought Abzakh has to prove by stepping up to take this fight on such short notice. However, coach Narmouq was clear that his fighter is beyond having to prove anything to anyone.
Nawras Abzakh:
“Nawras has nothing to prove in this fight. He has already proven that his level surpasses everyone in his weight category. God willing, he will walk away with yet another victory.”
This is an interesting fight added to the bantamweight division. The undefeated Abzakh with a 6-0 professional record might be much closer than we think to grab a title shot at the Brave Combat Federation bantamweight title if he is able to score a win against an opponent of this standard. It won’t be an easy task, but Nawras is a fighter that has always been confident in his team, his abilities and himself.
