Nemat flips the script, outlasts Roman Bogatov to win world title
TDT | Manama
The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com
BRAVE Combat Federation has a new champion of the world. In a dogged performance in the main event of BRAVE CF 72, Nemat Abdrashitov flipped the script on its head by outlasting Roman Bogatov, widely expected to have the advantage in endurance.
In the end, Abdrashitov was too much for his opponent and became BRAVE CF’s fourth Featherweight titleholder in one of the greatest fights in BRAVE CF history.
After the bout, an emotional Abdrashitov thanked BRAVE CF for the opportunity and Roman Bogatov for giving him a shot at the world championship.
Nemat becomes the second Kyrgyz champion of the world in BRAVE Combat Federation following the footsteps of his friend and training partner, Lightweight king Abdisalam Kubanychbek.
He was then surprised to see Omar Solomanov get into the cage for a special face-off. Omar had beaten Ilyar Askhanov at BRAVE CF 71 to earn the shot at the winner of the night’s main event and will now face Nemat later this year.
Roman Bogatov’s gameplan was as clear as ever: to use his wrestling to make Nemat tired and eventually work his way to a stoppage.
But Abdrashitov had other plans. In what became a staple of the fight, ‘’Eagle’’ surprised Roman early on by locking in a guillotine which almost made Bogatov go to sleep.
From then on, the pace of the fight was played out in Nemat’s favour, with the challenger hurting the champion at times, while also using his own wrestling to keep any offense from Roman to a minimum.
In the third round, he nearly finished Bogatov again, when he connected with a right hand that sent Roman crawling near the cage.
He locked in an arm-triangle choke, but the Russian refused to tap and ended the round on top, opening up a cut on Nemat’s forehead. Abdrashitov seemed even more fired up by his own blood, truly showcasing the heart of a champion.
He took the initiative, punished Bogatov with hard punches and, when the wrestling element took over, was able to keep his wits and come out on top. In the end, judges had the bout 50-45, 49-46, and 48-47 in favour of the new champion.
Co-main event drama
Before the main event unfolded, a bloody co-main event took place with Bidzina Gavashelishvili’s takedown speed the difference maker against Muhammad Idrisov.
The Georgian Flyweight’s wrestling was a major factor in him earning 29-28’s across the board. For Idrisov, his first professional defeat can be a learning moment, as he looks to go back to the drawing board and figure out his next steps.
The IMMAF European champion could very well reinvent himself at Bantamweight as the size difference was in his favour.
French connection
BRAVE CF will land in Nantes, France, on September 7th for its first event in the country.
And throughout the week, it was announced that Yanis Ghemmouri and Ylies Djiroun would be confirmed to fight in the event should they win their bouts at BRAVE CF 72.
And it certainly seemed as if they were eager to confirm themselves on the fight card. Both men put on arguably the strongest performances of their respective careers, earning huge victories and collecting their tickets to Nantes in the process.
Ylies Djiroun, coming off a twoyear layoff, was sharper, faster, and stronger than Olzhas Eskaraev, beating his Kazakh opponent via unanimous decision.
Yanis Ghemmouri had an even more impressive performance, nullifying Mehmosh Raza’s offense in the first before connecting with a very well-timed knee and knocking out ‘’The Renegade’’.
The prelims
Elsewhere there were huge victories for Rasul Magomedov, Mohsen Mohammedseifi, and Eliezer Kubanza, who earned violent stoppages over Mohamed Hisham Baraka, Noor El Islam, and Rayan Atmani, respectively.
In the night’s opening bout, the future of Bahraini MMA, Mohammed Alsameea earned a victory in his professional debut, knocking Ibrahim Hassan in the second round.
BRAVE CF next returns on August 12 for BRAVE CF 73, which goes down in Bogota, Colombia, as part of the BRAVE Pan-American Combat Week.
In the main event of the evening, Jose ‘’Shorty’’ Torres takes on Nkosi Ndebele for the vacant Bantamweight world title.
Related Posts