LAHORE: BRAVE Combat Federation made a historic return to Pakistan on Sunday night with BRAVE CF 85 in Lahore, marking the first-ever India vs. Pakistan MMA fights in the country and two big wins for Bahraini athletes.
In the Featherweight main event, Kazakhstan’s Rauan Bekbolat delivered the biggest upset of the evening by submitting Omar Solomanov in the third round, ending the Ukrainian’s 11-fight winning streak. Bekbolat, who secured a guillotine choke to get the win, became the new number one contender in the Featherweight division and extended his own winning streak to five fights.
BRAVE Combat Federation made a historic return to Pakistan on Sunday night with BRAVE CF 85 in Lahore, marking the first-ever India vs. Pakistan MMA fights in the country and two big wins for Bahraini athletes.
In the Featherweight main event, Kazakhstan’s Rauan Bekbolat delivered the biggest upset of the evening by submitting Omar Solomanov in the third round, ending the Ukrainian’s 11-fight winning streak. Bekbolat, who secured a guillotine choke to get the win, became the new number one contender in the Featherweight division and extended his own winning streak to five fights.
The co-main event featured an intense India vs. Pakistan showdown between Srikant Sekhar and Rizwan Ali. Srikant controlled much of the first two rounds with top position, while Rizwan countered with strikes from the bottom and two submission attempts in the second round. Both fighters appeared fatigued in the third round, but Rizwan managed to drop Srikant with a powerful right hand, securing the victory. Srikant was carried out on a stretcher as Rizwan celebrated inside the cage.
Eliezer Kubanza earned his third consecutive first-round finish in BRAVE CF by knocking out Salamat Orozakunov with heavy punches. After the fight, Kubanza, who remained undefeated and extended his record to 6-0, expressed his desire to face Alex Lohoré next.
In the first-ever India vs. Pakistan MMA fight on Pakistani soil, Zia Mashwani submitted Indian MMA veteran Bharat Khandare in the first round. Mashwani was aggressive from the start, locking in a triangle choke after a scramble, securing his place in history.
Ismail Khan made a strong debut in BRAVE CF by submitting Kazakh World Wrestling Championship medalists Bagylan Zahakansha in the second round. Following his win, Ismail called for an India vs. Pakistan matchup in his next BRAVE CF fight.
Lasha Abramishvili also made an impressive promotional debut, stopping Muhammad Idrisov in the second round, while Marwin Quirante delivered a highlight-reel front kick knockout against Pakistan’s Aqib Awan within seconds of their Flyweight bout.
Representing both Bahrain and Pakistan, Abbas Khan returned to BRAVE CF with a dominant performance, defeating Adham Mohamed by unanimous decision after controlling the clinch across three rounds.
Bahrain’s own Murad Guseinov continued his undefeated streak by quickly finishing Ruslan Serikpulov with a first-round TKO via ground and pound, securing his eighth straight win.
Mojtaba Nasiri kicked off the night by securing the first-ever Von Flue choke in BRAVE CF history, submitting Yuki Angdembe, the first Nepalese fighter to compete 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.
