Mohammed Shahid, president of Brave Combat Federation, announced that two title fights will headline the promotion’s return trip to Abu Dhabi. Brave 16, set for September 21st, will see Welterweight champion Carlston Harris and Featherweight title holder Elias Boudegzdame defend their crowns against top contenders Jarrah Al-Selawe and Bubba Jenkins, respectively.
Harris has been out of action for over a year due to lingering injuries in his hip. The Welterweight king hasn’t fought since claiming the title after a five-round battle against Carl Booth at Brave 8, last August. Al-Selawe, meanwhile, has been keeping busy, cementing his status as a top contender with wins over David Bear and Tahar Hadbi in 2018. Jarrah is the fighter with most promotional victories in Brave history, with five wins to his record.
Meanwhile, Featherweight champ Elias Boudegzdame will make his second title defense against Wrestler and NCAA Division I champion Bubba Jenkins. “Smile” was Brave’s first-ever titleholder as he became a world champions by beating Masio Fullen back at Brave 4. He defended that belt for the first time with a fourth-round submission victory over a tough Jakub Kowalewicz, back at Brave 10, in Jordan. For his part, Jenkins is a new signing for Brave CF, having put pen to paper on a multi-fight deal after putting on a respectable 12-4 MMA record together following an illustrious college wrestling career.
Brave 16 will mark the second time the fastest-growing MMA promotion in the world lands in the United Arab Emirates. The last time the organization was in Abu Dhabi, the main event was the aforementioned battle between Boudegzdame and Fullen, back in March of last year, for Brave 4: Unstoppable.
The promotion is set to visit another seven countries by the end of the year, with debut shows expected for Morocco, Colombia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and South Africa and return trips to Bahrain and India.
