MMA UK

Kai Kara-France and Amir Albazi clash in explosive flyweight main event at UFC Vegas 74

Frankie 03/05/2023

The UFC has announced a change in the main event slot for the upcoming UFC Vegas 74 card. The flyweight fight between Kai Kara-France and Amir Albazi has been promoted to the headline bout scheduled for June 3 at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas. This shift was confirmed by both fighters after an injury forced Jack Hermansson out of his originally scheduled matchup against Brendan Allen. Kara-France will be looking to bounce back after a loss to the reigning UFC flyweight champion, Brandon Moreno in his last fight. Prior to that, the 28-year-old New Zealander had secured three wins in a row, including a knockout over former UFC bantamweight champion, Cody Garbrandt. On the other hand, Albazi, a 29-year-old Iraqi-born fighter, will make his first-ever main event appearance at the UFC. He is currently undefeated in the promotion, with a perfect 4-0 record and has a total of five consecutive wins under his belt. Impressively, three of those victories have been won by either knockout or submission. The full card and bout order have yet to be announced by the UFC, but with Kara-France and Albazi locked in for the main event spot, this promises to be a highly anticipated fight for both the fighters and the fans alike. Fans can expect an exciting showdown between two of the best flyweights in the UFC, each looking to further their career and climb up the rankings in the division.

Edson Barboza and Bryce Mitchell to clash on March 5th

Sam Oakley 26/11/2021

“Striker vs Grappler” is perhaps an overused term in MMA, especially in an era where the sport’s athletes are more well-rounded than ever. However, it could not be more fitting than when describing the upcoming featherweight clash between Bryce Mitchell (14-0) and Edson Barboza (22-10), set to take place on the 5th of March 2022. “Thug Nasty” is coming off a one year break following his close decision win over Andre Fili in October 2020, a win that kept his impressive undefeated record intact. Barboza, on the other hand, saw his burgeoning featherweight run hit a serious roadblock in the form of Giga Chikadze in August. Barboza has been a perennial contender for years now, a feared striker that has built his career (and his highlight reel) on fending off all but the absolute elite. If Bryce Mitchell can secure a win over such a revered legend in Edson Barboza, then the ever-crowded featherweight top 10 is sure to gain another exciting face, perhaps one of its finest grapplers too. Edson Barboza is set to welcome back Bryce Mitchell on the 5th of March 2022.

Former IMMAF Bronze medalists to clash at Brave 18

Frankie 24/10/2018

2016 IMMAF World Championships witnessed Cian Cowley from Ireland and Hardeep Rai from the United Kingdom sharing the bronze medal in the welterweight division. Little did they know that the two welterweights will carry forward the unfinished business at a later stage. Ironically when both the welterweights took their career to the professional level, they landed up in the same promotion which is an active hotspot for talent evolving from the IMMAF. Hardeep Rai was the first to join Brave Combat Federation when he made his promotional debut which was also his professional debut at Brave 5 hosted in Mumbai, India. Rai submitted Arnan Chaiyasan in the very first round to mark his presence in Brave Combat Federation. Rai made three appearances in Brave Combat Federation winning twice. Training at the Jackson-Wink MMA, Rai is set to make his fourth appearance at Brave 18 taking place in Bahrain. Meanwhile, Cian Cowley who shared the podium representing Ireland at the 2016 IMMAF World Championships with bronze had made his promotional debut at Brave Combat Federation during Brave 13 hosted in Belfast. Cowley secured a TKO victory in the very first round and went ahead signing a multi-fight contract with Brave Combat Federation. Trained by John Kavanagh, the prospect from SBG Ireland has unsettled business from the 2016 IMMAF World Championships. The two IMMAF medalists will clash for the first time inside the cage at Brave 18 taking place on 16th November at the Khalifa Sports City in Bahrain. While the bout is highlighted as a clash between Ireland and the United Kingdom, it is also the final showdown for the unsettled score from 2016 IMMAF World Championships. Hardeep Rai had already made his statement over the social media, “Very few can relate, but all understand. This is the greatest sport on earth. Excited to be making this walk again so soon” A win for Cowley is critical to boosting his professional record which stands at 1-1-0. Meanwhile, for Hardeep Rai, it is his return after an overwhelming loss against the currently undefeated John Brewin at Brave 12 which took place in Jakarta, Indonesia. The event will take place during Brave International Combat Week, which is also the venue for 2018 IMMAF-WMMAA World Championship making the showdown between the welterweight medalists iconic and to break the tie to find the best warrior.

Exclusive: Major USA against Dagestan clash set at Brave 14

Frankie 26/07/2018

Brave Combat Federation will host the first global mixed martial arts event in the continent of Africa by featuring fierce rivalry between two of the dominating nations in the MMA world. The fight card features two matchups pitting two American mixed martial artists facing challengers from Dagestan. Sidney Wheeler, who was a high school wrestling champion and a state kickboxing champion will compete against Abdoul Abdoulraguimov who has his roots in Dagestan and is a national Jiu Jitsu champion in France. The duo had already turned their online interactions into a war of words drawing battle lines between United States of America and Dagestan, Russia. Abdoul Abdoulraguimov is undefeated with seven wins in his professional career out of which six of them coming out of submissions. After the war of words against Dagestan, the bout against the kickboxing sensation from the United States is much anticipated by the mixed martial arts community from Dagestan. The second clash between USA and Dagestan is headlined by Sean Santella facing Velimurad Alkhasov. The bout will pit the undefeated Velimurad Alkhasov against Santella who has 14 out of his 20 wins coming out of submissions. Sean Santella (20-6-1) had never faced a defeat in his career to submission and pose a legitimate challenge to the undefeated fighter from Dagestan. While Sidney Wheeler, Sean Santella and Keith Lee will be representing USA, Ikram Aliskerov, Velimurad Alkhasov and Artur Guseynov will represent Dagestan. The fight card also features the promotional debut of the brother of UFC sensation Kevin Lee – Keith Lee. Team Lakay will be facing their next challenge against the fighter from Xtreme Couture as Keith Lee will face Jeremy Pacatiw. Previously Team Lakay became the first fight team from Asia to claim victory twice against the fabled SBG Ireland. Also returning to Brave Combat Federation is the undefeated Ikram Aliskerov who is a World Combat Sambo Champion. Aliskerov is undefeated in his professional career with 5 wins with three of his wins at Brave Combat Federation. He will face the much experienced Diego Gonsalez in the Middleweight division. The fight night will take place at the Omnisport Indoor Sport Club in Tangier, Morocco on 18th August, 2018 marking the first ever mixed martial art event hosted in Morocco. The event will be held under the patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI of Morocco.