BRAVE Combat Federation’s debut event in China is in the books and saw BRAVE CF coming out on top in the promotional duel.
Brice Picaud was the winner for the final BRAVE CF vs YFU fight, making it 5-1 to BRAVE CF
BRAVE Combat Federation emerged victorious in the battle for Asian supremacy as BRAVE CF fighters secured a 5-1 victory over YFU fighters at BRAVE CF 84, held this Friday, in Zhengzhou, China. And more than that, the most global organisation in the world extended its world record as China became the 33rd country to host BRAVE CF, with the promotion also equalling the record for most Asian nations visited with 13.
In the main event, the only non-tournament fight of the night, Bidzina Gavashelishvili secured his second consecutive win in BRAVE Combat Federation by defeating Erasyl Shukataev after a hard-fought three-round contest.
Shukataev knocked Bidzina down twice in the first round and troubled the Georgian with his reach advantage. However, Bidzina controlled the pace in the second round with precise boxing and a late takedown. He relied on his grappling and clinch skills in the third round to neutralize his Kazakh opponent’s reach advantage and cruised to victory. Following his win, Bidzina said that he is top contender in the Flyweight division and declared his intent to pursue the title.
Bidzina was in danger but ended up victorious in the main event of BRAVE CF 84
The co-main event of BRAVE CF 84, which headlined the BRAVE CF vs YFU portion of the card, featured a high-level technical contest between Brice Picaud and Qinghe Zhang. Both fighters engaged in back-and-forth grappling exchanges, living up to the pre-fight expectations. Unfortunately, the fight ended anticlimactically when Zhang suffered a knee injury after the second round, forcing the referee to call off the bout and award a TKO victory to Picaud, who wrapped up the dominant performance of BRAVE CF fighters.
Borislav Nikolic made a strong case for a Bantamweight title shot by securing a first-round TKO victory over Eqiyuebu, who entered the fight on a four-fight winning streak. Nikolic dominated early in the stand-up and brought the fight to the ground with a guillotine attempt. Although the 19-year-old Chinese star escaped the submission attempt, Nikolic’s experience proved decisive as he finished the fight with elbows from the top position, and even went as far as taking the initiative to stop landing down blows on his opponent, ”inviting” the referee to finish the fight.
Nikolic took matters into his own hands and walked away before the fight was waived off
The bout between Maimaitituoheti and Izzeddine Al Derbani delivered big time, with both fighters exchanging heavy strikes from the start. Al Derbani took control midway through the first round with his kicks and quickly ended the fight by submitting his Chinese opponent with a triangle choke, bouncing back strongly from his loss at BRAVE CF 80.
Former Interim title challenger Olzhas Eskaraev delivered a dominant performance, overwhelming China’s Zehao Zhang over three rounds to secure a unanimous decision win. This victory marks Eskaraev’s second consecutive win in BRAVE CF, bringing him closer to a potential rematch with BRAVE CF Lightweight champion Abdisalam Kubanychbek.
Yang Weiqiang handed Mohamed Alsameea his first professional MMA loss in the second fight of the night, securing the lone victory for YFU in the promotional duel. Yang nearly finished Alsameea in the second round after struggling against the Bahraini’s grappling in the opening round. In the third round, Yang opened a cut on Alsameea with vicious elbows on the ground before earning a decision victory.
Kazakhstan’s Aivaz Aidinov utilized his wrestling skills to dominate Peng Zhengwen in the opening bout, securing a decision win and setting the tone for the BRAVE CF fighters.
BRAVE CF 84 was the organisation’s fourth event of the year, following events in Slovenia, Mauritius, and the Netherlands. Next, the most global MMA organization heads to Pakistan for BRAVE CF 85, which will be held as part of BRAVE International Combat Week in Lahore on August 18.
BRAVE CF 84 Results:
Catchweight 59.2kg – Bidzina Gavashelishvili def. Erasyl Shukataev via unanimous decision (3x 29-28)
Catchweight 62.5kg – Brice Picaud def. Qinghe Zhang via TKO (Retirement) – 5:00 – Round 2
Bantamweight: Borislav Nikolic def. Eqiyuebu via TKO (strikes) – 4m57s – Round 1
Featherweight: Izzeddine Al-Derbani def. Maimaitituoheti via submission (triangle choke) – 3m49s – Round 1
Lightweight: Olzhas Eskaraev def. Zehao Zhang via unanimous decision (3x 30-27)
Flyweight: Yang Weiqiang def. Mohamed Alsameea via unanimous decision (3x 29-28)
Catchweight 64.5kg: Aivaz Aidinov def. Peng Zhengwen via unanimous decision (3x 30-27)
