
Tahar “Fast Hands” Hadbi’s career record stands at 14 wins, 7 losses, and two no-contests. The common MMA fan who had never even stepped into a training center or hit the mat will find it hard to identify why Hadbi belongs to the main card, especially to be in the main event given his career record. Hadbi is a fighter’s fighter. Representing Algeria, he will be making his most anticipated return at BRAVE CF 39 hosted in Stockholm, Sweden alongside Bulldog Fight Night after a 17-month layoff.
Hadbi will face Giannis Bachar (5-2-0) from Greece who trains at EFL Martial Arts Academy. Bachar is on a 4 fight win streak which adds further challenge to Hadbi who recently won his personal battles against multiple injuries and cardiac conditions to get medically cleared to get back to the cage.
Hadbi is among those fighters who were not privileged to have a padded amateur career but jumped straight into the deep end of the ocean to fight with the sharks. In his past 13 fights, Hadbi had lost only twice and among that was a decision against the reigning welterweight champion, Jarrah Al Selawe whom he faced the third round with a broken hand.
Hadbi is the first fighter to finish the Powerhouse from Lebanon, Mohammed Fakhreddine. Fans from the Middle East indeed expect a trilogy to conclude the biggest rivalry in the region. Also, the fight against Carl Booth on which he was so close to the win was turned into a no-contest as the less experienced timekeepers from the amateur federation in India rang the bell in the third round of a five-round bout.
Jarrah Al Selawe is currently among those fighters who could put the biggest challenge to Khamzat Chimaev who is hailed by MMA journalists as the next Khabib, which he is not. He is Chimaev and is capable of redefining the MMA world with a path of destruction and fear not just in his division but divisions around.
Yes, indeed journalists who have the least idea of what a training camp looks like won’t have these details to add. Coming back to Al Selawe, he was unable to take Hadbi down and keep him on the ground during their previous confrontation in Indonesia during BRAVE CF 12. The quality of sprawls makes the Algerian lethal for any wrestler he will face. Add the lost art of precise jabs, and this makes Hadbi dangerous.
Jarrah Hussein Al-Selawe who dominated an undefeated grappling maestro like Abdoul Abdouraguimov and became the 1 in 11-1-0 in Abdouraguimov’s career failed to takedown and dominate Tahar Hadbi even when his opponent had a broken hand. And Al-Selawe is the best fighter at the moment in the Middle East in any promotion in the world including the UFC unless proven wrong.
This is the reason why it makes it a must for any MMA fan from the Middle East to watch the return of Tahar Hadbi. Hadbi trains at Obyfight which is home to promising talents including David “The” Bear, Kirikou-Gaetan Dambo, Mickael Lebout, Reda Oudgou, and more.
The fight is also important for fighters from France which is emerging as an epicenter for the sport after the legalization of MMA events across the nation. There is much to expect from the future of Hadbi as there are unsolved rivalries against battle-hardened veterans in the Middle East including Mohammed Fakhreddine, Jarrah Al Selawe, and Carl Booth. The future will be decided today at 6 PM (GMT +2) in Stockholm, Sweden at BRAVE 39.
BRAVE CF 39 Full Fight Card

- Welterweight: Tahar Hadbi vs Giannis Basar
- Middleweight: Andreas Gustafsson vs Miro Jurkovic
- Lightweight: Rafael Macedo vs Tobias Harila
- Catchweight (64 kg): Felipe Lima vs Farbod Irannejad
- Lightweight: Sahil Siraj vs Davide La Torre

About the author
Hari Bhagirath is the former Chief Creative Officer at BRAVE Combat Federation. Currently, he heads Strategic Relations and Financial Communication for a major Fortune 100 organization. He is also the co-founder of Totem Capital, a private wealth management initiative.