Category: Brave CF News

News: UFC Vet and Bellator Fighter, Norman Parke Announces Retirement

Published on by Eamonn ScottLeave a comment

UFC veteran Norman Parke, currently signed with Bellator under a multi fight contract has shockingly announced retirement.

Posted via twitter, the Northern Irish, Ultimate Fighter winner, Norman Parke has stated that following his upcoming bout under promotion BKB he will give up fighting unless he is offered a fight worth the right amount of money.

Coming off back to back wins against Myles Price and highly talented BJJ artists Paul Redmond, this announcement will come to a surprise to many, considering his recent signing with Bellator.

There was rumors of a fight between him and Benson Henderson in the pipeline, so it could be possible that perhaps that a disagreement between the two parties could have had some part to play in this decision. We will have to wait to find out what exactly the reason was.

All I do know however is that it would be a real shame to see Norman retire as he has a lot more to offer.

More will follow as it comes to light.

Report: Stephen Loman set to defend title at home in the Philippines at Brave 22

Published on by Brad DalrympleLeave a comment

Brave Combat Federation’s Stephen Loman is set to defend his bantamweight world championship in his home country.

“The Sniper” will be the main event of Brave 22, which takes place at The Mall of Asia Arena, in Manila, Philippines, on March 15th. His opponent will be announced in the coming weeks.

Loman is the longest-reigning Brave champion after winning his belt at Brave 9 back in November of 2017. Since then, the Filipino hero has made history by becoming the first-ever Brave CF titleholder to defend his crown on two occasions.

In June of last year, he went to Northern Ireland to face top contender Frans Mlambo and dominated his rival throughout five rounds to win a unanimous decision, beating Mlambo in front of his teammate Conor McGregor.

Five months later at Brave 18, he once again dominated his foe, out-striking Brazil’s Felipe Efrain in the co-main event to receive his third belt.

Report: UFC’s Belal Muhammad heaps praise on Brave champ Al-Selwady: “He’s a beast”

Published on by Brad DalrympleLeave a comment

UFC welterweight, Belal Muhammad recently caught up with fellow Palestinian and Brave lightweight champion, Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady after the duo started off a friendship via social media which has developed into a combination of forces in the gym.

According to Muhammad, Al-Selwady is a “beast” in training and during fights and will become one of the top lightweights in the world of MMA in no time. Belal was also keen to pass on some advice to his younger friend, saying Al-Selwady shouldn’t rush things and let himself develop naturally.

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“I just told him don’t try to rush anything because he’s a monster right now – he’s a beast. Brave is treating him really well and he’s a smart kid… He’s just doing it the smart way” said Muhammad in an interview with Top Turtle Podcast.

Belal talked about their encounter and also revealed that Al-Selwady plans to defend his Brave belt soon, after winning with a decisive TKO victory over the tough and experienced Lucas “Mineiro” back at Brave 18, in November of last year.

“We met each other through social media; MMA brought us together. He’s a good kid…We talked about how we train and what we like to train more. Brave is treating him really well right now so he said he wants to defend the title some more”.

– Brad Dalrymple

Follow me on Twitter @Brad_MMA

Results and Rewind: Brave 19 – SBG Ireland’s Frans Mlambo and Englishman Carl Booth impress in South Africa

Published on by Brad DalrympleLeave a comment

Brave Combat Federation hosted the promotion’s first edition in South Africa, with local fighters living up to expectation.

In the main event, hot-prospect Mark Hulme got the biggest victory of his professional career as he won a unanimous decision over seasoned veteran in Adam Townsend. Both men were making their promotional debuts, and their fight was one of the most back-and-forth of the action-packed event, leaving fans on their feet.

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In the co-main event, Straight Blast Gym standout, Frans Mlambo faced Dansheel Moodley in a bout that marked the dominant return of the gold medalist from 2015 IMMAF World Championship. Mlambo submitted Moodley in the first round to make a memorable return to his nation of origin. In defence of the ever-game Moodley, he stepped in as a last minute replacement for Arnold Quero who had to withdraw from the event due to illness during his weight cut.

Meanwhile, David Bear faced Pawel Kiełek in an explosive bout which showcased intense striking skills by the fighter from France. Bear softened his opponent with vicious strikes which significantly slowed Kiełek down. The OBYFight representative put pressure on Kiełek, who eventually opened his guard letting Bear comfortably land combinations. Finally, a powerful right stopped Kiełek while Bear mauled his opponent forcing the referee to stop the bout.

Carl “Bomber” Booth returned to Brave Combat Federation after a 13-month absence to compete at Brave 19 against dangerous Dino Bagattin. The striker from England didn’t hold back as he set the pace for the bout aggressively, overwhelmed Bagattin with precise striking and good takedown defense, earning his first victory in nearly two years and putting himself back on the chase for Brave gold.

Gold Medalist at the 2017 IMMAF World Championships, Abdul Hussein made a home for himself in the flyweight division as he went the distance against Sylvester Chipfumbu, earning yet another professional win and positioning himself near the top of the division.

The undercard witnessed explosive action featuring upcoming talents from the continent. Gareth Buirski defeated Cedric Doyle by Guillotine Choke in the first round, while Nkosi Ndebele stopped the returning Ahmed Faress after a doctor deemed the egyptian unable to continue.

The full Brave 19 results are below:

Main card

  • Mark Hulme def. Adam Townsend by unanimous decision
  • Frans Mlambo def. Dansheel Moodley by submission (Guillotine Choke) – Round 1
  • David Bear def. Paweł Kiełek by TKO (Strikes) – Round 1
  • Carl Booth def. Dino Bagattin by Knock Out – Round 2
  • Abdul Hussein def. Sylvester Chipfumbu by Unanimous Decision

Undercard

  • Gareth Buirski def. Cedric Doyle via submission (Guillotine Choke) – Round 1
  • Carlos Graça def. Dimitri Fogg by TKO – Round 1
  • Nkosi Ndebele def. Ahmed Faress by TKO (Doctor Stoppage) – Round 1
  • Alex Martinez def. Hanru Botha via submission (Guillotine Choke) – Round 3
  • François Meyer def. Jan Paul Ronge via submission (Guillotine Choke) – Round 1

Next up for Brave Combat Federation is a return to India, where Hyderabad will witness a middleweight bout between Sidney Wheeler and Leon Aliu as the main event of Brave 20, set for December 22nd.

Report: Carl Booth hopes to impress at Brave 19 to set himself up for a main event spot on England card

Published on by Brad DalrympleLeave a comment

Carl Booth hopes to stake a claim among the top Brave fighters with a win in his return bout. Set to come back from a 13-month layoff, the englishman takes on Dino Bagattin at Brave 19, Sun City, South Africa this weekend.

The Nottingham-based welterweight hopes a win over Bagattin will be enough to land him a top spot in a Brave event in 2019 and dreams of headlining a show in his native England.

“I believe I will be headlining a show for Brave next year after I smash my way through the division, starting with Dino. Hopefully, I can fight in a packed arena in front of my fans in England. Our fans are the best and I want to make sure they experience a Brave card sometime soon. Northern Ireland and Ireland also have a lot of great fighters, and that’s why Brave went to Belfast”, ponders Booth.

“I’ve added loads of new weapons in my time away. I’ve had some injuries, but I’ve had time to train and improve and I think this new version of myself is going to be too much for him to handle. My style is too much for him, but I do expect him to come in strong and give me a good fight”, says “The Bomber”.

Brave 19 will be headlined by a welterweight clash between promotional newcomers Adam Townsend and Mark Hulme this weekend.

B19_Dino-VS-Carl_1X1

Also on tap for the promotion’s first trip to South Africa, is a bantamweight duel between contenders Frans Mlambo and Arnold Quero and the return of Pawel Kielek, who meets David Bear in a welterweight fight with possible title implications.

Report: Carl Booth talks return to the Brave CF and his rivalry with current division kingpin

Published on by Brad DalrympleLeave a comment

Brave CF welterweight sensation Carl Booth has recently taken a year out of the cage. He used that time to take care of some injuries and focus on improvements in his game. Now, the Englishman is ready for his return and has a intriguing clash with South African native, Dino Bagattin at Brave 19 which is set for December 8th, in Sun City, South Africa.

“The Bomber” is coming off two losses against former champ Carlston Harris, and current titleholder Jarrah Al-Selawe. However, he remains confident that rekindled enthusiasm and improvements will be too much for Bagattin to handle come December 8th.

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“I have been wanting to fight for most of this year, but it just hasn’t worked out. I had some minor injuries, and some bad timing, so I used that time to improve. I’ve been studying quite a bit of tape on Dino and I think that my fighting style, plus a lot of the things I’ve been working on, will be too much for him. But I do feel like he’s going to give me a tough fight, so I’m excited for that”, says Booth.

While Booth’s last fight was a decision loss to current champ Al-Selawe, the Nottingham representative still holds a KO victory over “The Jordanian Lion” and hopes for a trilogy down the road, especially “if Al-Selawe can hold onto that belt”.

“Jarrah and I have a score to settle. We are 1 – 1 right now, and I believe that after a few dominant performances I’ll be in a position to challenge for the title. If he’s still the champion, we’ll get that trilogy fight. It is a personal goal of mine to avenge that loss against him and snatch the belt from him at the same time”.

Brave 19 will mark the first time the Bahrain based MMA promotion lands in South Africa. The fight card will be headlined by american welterweight Adam Townsend, who takes on local standout Mark Hulme. The co-main event will feature a clash of top bantamweights as Frans Mlambo looks for a victory against Arnold Quero.

Report: Cian Cowley looks for a quick turnaround after Brave 18 win

Published on by Brad DalrympleLeave a comment

Cian Cowley wasted no time in getting his second professional win last Friday at Brave 18, held in Manama, Bahrain. The Ireland representative overwhelmed Hardeep Rai with a barrage of leg kicks, eventually crumbling his opponent for a first-round TKO, the second in his Brave Combat Federation career. And right after the fight, Cowley revealed he wanted to compete one more time in 2018. Continue reading “Report: Cian Cowley looks for a quick turnaround after Brave 18 win” →

Results & Rewind: Al-Selwady becomes undisputed champ and Loman defends his title at Brave 18

Published on by Brad DalrympleLeave a comment

It was a night to remember for Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady as he became Brave’s undisputed lightweight champion after an injury forced Lucas “Mineiro” to tap out during the first round of their Brave 18 main event.

“The Pride of Palestine” was on point with his striking, heavy pressure and persistent straight punches. When the Jordanian phenom closed the distance and got a takedown, Mineiro’s knee gave out and he was forced to tap out, relinquishing his interim title in the process.

al-sewady-mineiro-b18

In the co-main event, Stephen Loman was able to nullify the challenger Felipe Efrain’s offence throughout a tense five-round battle, maintaining his bantamweight crown and becoming the first-ever Brave champion to successfully defend his belt twice.

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The flyweight title bout was another five-round battle, as Marcel Adur had good moments to close the show and become the first-ever divisional champion. In the end, he had to settle for a decision loss against Velimurad Alkhasov. Since the Russian powerhouse didn’t make weight, the belt remains vacant and both men will most likely rematch in the near future.

Elsewhere, there were landmark TKO wins for Bahrain’s Hussain Ayyad and McGregor teammate, Cian Cowley, as they dominated Mohamed Abo Ali and Hardeep Rai, respectively, finishing them in the first round.

In the main card opening bout, Luan “Miau” Santiago returned to the Brave cage with a flawless and tactical victory, as the one-time title challenger outpointed a tough and resilient Djamil Chan to get back to winning ways for Brave.

The full Brave 18/WFCA 54 full results are as follows:

Main card

  • Lightweight: Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady def. Lucas Martins via TKO (referee stoppage) in R1
  • Bantamweight: Stephen Loman def. Felipe Efrain via unanimous decision
  • Flyweight: Velimurad Alkhasov def. Marcel Adur via unanimous decision
  • Flyweight: Hussain Ayyad def. Mohamed Abo Ali via TKO (strikes) in R1
  • Catchweight (74 kg): Luan Santiago def. Djamil Chan via unanimous decision

Preliminary card

  • Catchweight (73 kg): Cian Cowley def. Hardeep Rai via TKO (strikes) in R1
  • Welterweight: Khamzat Chimaev def. Marko Kisic via TKO (strikes) in R1
  • Bantamweight: Rakhman Dudaev def. Joe Taimanglo via unanimous decision
  • Featherweight: Magomedrasul Khasbulaev def. Rob Emerson via sub (arm-triangle) in R2
  • Featherweight: Akhmed Shervaniev def. Antonio Carlos Ribeiro via unanimous decision
  • Welterweight: Goity Dazaev def. Vasily Kurochkin via TKO (strikes) in R3
  • Featherweight: Anzor Abdulkhozjaev def. Nikolay Kondratuk via TKO (strikes) in R1

Report: BRAVE CF owner defends Zubaira Tukhugov and offers him a place on their roster after UFC 229 melee

Published on by Brad DalrympleLeave a comment

A little under a week after the events of UFC 229, there has been a lot to take in. Conor McGregor’s loss, as well as all of the out-of-cage brawl, has become one of the biggest talking points of UFC history.

One particular event that has caused a real split of opinion is the decision by the UFC to pull Zubaira Tukhugov from his scheduled fight with McGregor’s teammate Artem Lobov after his actions in the skirmish after the UFC 229 main event.

If you have been living under a rock for the last week and require a recap, Tukhugov was one of the three guys that set upon McGregor inside the cage after his loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Since all is said and done, the UFC made the decision to pull Tukhugov from his next fight and state that he will never compete under the UFC banner again. This has caused a split in opinion inside the MMA community, where some call for the UFC to reconsider and allow Tukhugov to stay on their roster.

One of these sympathisers is BRAVE CF owner Khaled Hamad Alkhalifa. In a recent Instagram post, Alkhalifa defends Tukhogov and offers him an open invitation to their roster.

Brave CF is currently the largest middle eastern promotion and is ever growing. This is surely a sufficient safety net for Tukhogov should the UFC stick to their guns and he is expelled from the promotion.

As a side note, Conor McGregor’s loyal teammate that was charged with McGregor for the New York bus incident, Cian Cowley is also on the Brave CF books. Should Tukhogov decide to make a change and head to the Bahrainian based promotion, this could be one hell of a fight to make, with both fighters having unquestionable loyalty to either side.

Since the UFC’s decision, Khabib Nurmagomedov has issued a statement advising that he will not fight in the UFC unless Tukhogov is reinstated. As of this moment, the UFC is yet to respond and both sides are locked in a stalemate.

– Brad Dalrymple

Follow me on Twitter @Brad_MMA

Report: SBG’s Cian Cowley set to compete at Brave 18 in Bahrain

Published on by Brad DalrympleLeave a comment

Conor McGregor’s SBG teammate, Cian Cowley has extended his current contract with Brave Combat Federation and he will be competing in the Kingdom of Bahrain in November. Continue reading “Report: SBG’s Cian Cowley set to compete at Brave 18 in Bahrain” →