Khalifa Sports City: Mahmood Rafique, Editor: BRAVE Combat Federation wrapped up a historic year with BRAVE CF 92 at the Khalifa Sports City Arena in Bahrain on Sunday making this year’s finale as an extraordinary year for the most global MMA organization.
BRAVE Combat Federation’s final event of the year BRAVE CF 92 with the main event between Mohammad Fakhreddine and Abdel Rahmane Driai was filled with drama before Fakhreddine secured a second-round stoppage with ground-and-pound.
The first round featured several near finishes and a lengthy pause due to an illegal strike to the back of the head by Driai. Although both fighters were unable to secure a finish in the first round, Fakhreddine came out aggressively in the second, hunting for the stoppage and ultimately succeeding.
The victory marked Fakhreddine’s triumphant return to BRAVE CF, and in his post-fight speech, the former two-division champion expressed his desire for a showdown with Erko Jun.
In the India vs. Pakistan segment of the card, the Pakistani fighters delivered strong performances, winning all five of their respective matchups.
In the co-main event, Rizwan Ali secured a decisive victory over Srikant Sekhar, ending the bout with a first-round stoppage. The fight saw a competitive grappling exchange before Ali capitalized on an opening, landing significant strikes that prompted the referee’s intervention. This win allowed Ali to maintain his undefeated professional record.
Following the match, Sekhar, a veteran of the sport with a career spanning over a decade, announced his retirement from MMA, marking the end of a notable journey in the sportBabar Ali secured the biggest win of his career by outclassing Mohammed Farhad across three rounds. The rising Pakistani star used his grappling skills to neutralize Farhad’s striking and dominated the fight to secure a unanimous decision victory.
Seth Rosario and Abbas Khan delivered an action-packed, three-round thriller. Seth had multiple near submissions throughout the fight and remained active from the bottom, while Abbas capitalized on takedowns and effective striking. In the end, the judges awarded Abbas a split decision victory, marking his second consecutive win in BRAVE CF.
Ismail Khan earned his second consecutive BRAVE CF victory by dominating Yadwinder Singh and securing a unanimous decision. Ismail’s grappling overwhelmed Yadwinder, who showed great heart by enduring the onslaught to go the distance.
Aqib Awan rebounded from his first-round knockout loss at BRAVE CF 85 in Pakistan with a third-round stoppage of Ehtesham Ansari. Aqib controlled the grappling exchanges and, in the third round, unleashed unanswered ground-and-pound strikes to secure the win. The victory also snapped Ehtesham’s six-fight winning streak.
Omar Solomanov returned to the winning column with a first-round submission win over Izzeddine Al Derbani in the Featherweight division. Solomanov executed a leg-sweep takedown and delivered strikes from the crucifix position. As Derbani attempted to escape, the Ukrainian locked in a rear-naked choke to secure the submission victory.
Rami Hamed marked his return to BRAVE Combat Federation with a first-round stoppage win over Salamat Orozakunov. Despite being in danger from vicious elbows by Salamat, Hamed turned the fight around with a powerful punch that dropped his opponent. He followed up with ground-and-pound strikes to secure the finish. With the win, Hamed extended his winning streak to six fights, putting the Super Welterweight division on notice.
Egypt’s Abdallah Mohamed secured a big win by outclassing Mohamed Yosif Abdulrahman across three rounds. Abdallah relied on takedowns and ground control to dominate the fight, earning a unanimous decision victory.
In the opening bout of the card, Indian Judo champion Suchika Tariyal showcased a dominant performance, securing a second-round submission win. Making her return to MMA after a seven-year hiatus, Suchika used her grappling expertise to outclass Jhen Buzon of the Philippines before finishing the fight with an armbar in the second round. With this win, Suchika remains undefeated in her professional MMA career, improving to 2-0.
BRAVE CF 92 brought an end to a historic year for BRAVE Combat Federation, a year marked by breaking multiple world records and expanding into new territories, including Mauritius, the Netherlands, China, Bulgaria, and Austria. The organization also signed several strategic partnerships globally and expanded its international roster with world-class talent.
Finale results
Catchweight: Mohammed Fakhreddine def. Abdel Rahmane Driai via TKO (strikes) at 3m11s of R2; Lightweight: Rizwan Ali def. Srikant Sekhar via TKO (punches) at 2m22s of R1
Bantamweight: Babar Ali def. Mohammad Farhad via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27); Featherweight: Omar Solomanov def. Izzeddine Al Derbani via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4m53s of R1; Catchweight: Abbas Khan def. Seth Rosario via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28); Super Welterweight: Rami Hamed def. Salamat Orozakunov via TKO (punches) at 4m20s of R1; Super Lightweight: Abdallah Mohamed def. Mohamed Yosif Abdulrahman via Decision; Bantamweight: Ismail Khan def. Yadwinder Singh via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27); Flyweight: Aqib Awan def. Ehtesham Ansari via TKO (ground and pound) at 2m01s of R3; and Strawweight: Suchika Tariyal Hooda def. Jhen Buzon via submission (armbar) at 2m08s of R2.
