Eldarov headlines winners in BRAVE CF 67

TDT | Manama                 

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com 

BRAVE CF 67 saw the handing over of the baton as the future stars of Arabian MMA shone in Seef last night when fighters from the MENA region put their hands up and proved their bravery on the most global MMA platform.

BRAVE CF 67 kept fans on the edge of their seats as seven stoppages in eight fights was the order of the day.

The penultimate event on the 2022 BRAVE CF calendar bore witness to some master-class performances as warriors from Lebanon, Algeria, Tunisia, and Egypt endeavoured to take the first step toward MMA stardom and secure a lucrative BRAVE Combat Federation contract.

In the main event, BRAVE CF Super Lightweight champion Eldar Eldarov showcased his royal MMA lineage in a Super Welterweight bout when he stopped Belarus’ Denis Maher in the first round.

Eldarov opened the history books by becoming the first athlete to pull off a knee bar submission in BRAVE Combat Federation.

Maher showcased beautiful Dutch kickboxing that almost paid dividends, however, the Super Lightweight champion was wise as he moved in and out, mixing in feints while landing strikes to irritate Mayer’s timing and rhythm.

Just as Maher looked to recalibrate, Eldarov initiated a well-timed double-leg takedown which led to beautiful transitioning to the knee bar.

“I feel amazing,” said Eldarov in the post-fight interview. “So many people came to support me, and I felt a huge responsibility on my shoulders.

Thank you to my team, my family and especially to HH Shaikh Khalid, he’s the reason for all of our successes.”

In the co-main event of the evening, French Algerian Yannis Ghemmouri threw cold water on the myth that ‘leg kicks don’t win fights’ when he stopped Russia’s Bair Shtepin in the second round of their Featherweight bout.

Tactical

The first round was an uber tactical five minutes as both athletes exchanged kicks and mixed them up with feints as they tried to figure each other’s timing and reaction out.

Ghemmouri was the more effective in terms of strikes landed, and he picked up the pace in the second round with superior angles, strikes, and overall strategy.

Ghemmouri’s low kicks and footwork eventually saw the beginning of the end for Shtepin, who seemed uncomfortable as he absorbed trunk-like blows on his shins.

During the second round, Ghemmouri sensed blood and ramped up the pace with an overall attack mixing up his leg kicks and jabs to set up bigger punches that forced Shtepin to cave in, forcing the referee to call an end to the fight.

BRAVE CF 67 Official Results

Super Welterweight: Eldar Eldarov def. Denis Maher via submission (kneebar) - Round 1 - 4m53s

Featherweight: Yannis Ghemmouri def. Bair Shtepin via TKO (leg kicks and punches) - Round 2 - 4m44s Super Lightweight: Mahmoud Sebie def. Wajdi Missaoui via KO - Round 1 - 1m28s

Middleweight: Ahmed Sami def. Omar ElDafrawy via unanimous decision (30-26, 29-27, 29-28)

Featherweight: Abdelghani Saber def. Aymene Souane via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1 - 3m23s

Catchweight 98kg: Osama ElSeady def. Mohamed Ali Sellam via KO - Round 1 - 54s

Super Lightweight: Anthony Zeidan def. Ayman Galal via KO - Round 2 - 1m24s

Lightweight: Mohsen Mohammedseifi def. Dhia Meguellati via TKO (due to strikes) - Round 1 - 2m47s