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Five Things To Know About BRAVE CF 82
Apr 26, 2024
BRAVE Combat Federation returns to Africa on May 11 for the organization’s debut event in Mauritius with BRAVE CF 82. Mauritius is the latest country to host the most global MMA organization in the world and will become the second African country to host a world MMA title fight, following South Africa.
Headlined by the Bantamweight world title fight between Nkosi Ndebele and Jose ‘Shorty’ Torres, BRAVE CF 82 is a historic event not only for BRAVE Combat Federation but also for African mixed martial arts and world MMA. Here are five things you should know about the event.
Mauritius is the third country to host a BRAVE CF show in Africa and 31st overall - a world record for a global MMA promotion
BRAVE CF 82 will be the fourth event in Africa for BRAVE Combat Federation further cementing the organization’s position as the only international MMA promotion to host events in the African continent.
So far, BRAVE CF has hosted two events in South Africa and one event in Morocco. The event in Mauritius will take BRAVE CF’s host nations in Africa to three and it will also take the total number of host nations across the globe to 31, which is unmatched by any other MMA organization in the world.
The biggest title fight in African MMA history
The historic event in Mauritius has a historic main event as Africa’s own Nkosi Ndebele will defend his BRAVE CF Bantamweight world title against former champion Jose ‘Shorty’ Torres.
This is the first-ever trilogy fight in the history of BRAVE Combat Federation and will also be the first-ever trilogy in MMA history with each fight happening in a different continent. The first fight between Nkosi and Torres happened in South America (Colombia), the second fight in Asia (Bahrain) and now, Africa is set to play host to the climax of this iconic rivalry.
The fight will also mark the first time that an African MMA world champion is defending his title on African soil.
New contenders at Bantamweight and Flyweight
BRAVE CF 82 features compelling matchups that could reshape the Flyweight and Bantamweight divisions. In the Flyweight category, Luthando Biko makes his highly anticipated promotional debut against Bidizina Gavashelishvili, aiming to secure a shot at the vacant Flyweight title. Gavashelishvili, coming off an impressive BRAVE CF debut, seeks to continue his momentum and establish himself as a top contender when Biko looks to build on his four-fight winning streak.
Meanwhile, Nicholas Hwende faces a tough challenge in Khurshed Nazarov in the Bantamweight division. Hwende, vocal about his title aspirations, sees this fight as a crucial step towards championship contention, while Nazarov aims to make a strong impression in his BRAVE CF debut.
Eliezer Kubanza's homecoming as a superstar
Eliezer Kubanza made waves in the MMA world in 2023 when he secured two back-to-back first-round knockout wins in BRAVE Combat Federation. The wins not only kept him undefeated in his professional MMA career but also catapulted him as a superstar in his native DR Congo, with hundreds of people celebrating each of his victories and him being welcomed by the Minister of Sports on both occasions.
Kubanza has used this newfound superstar calling on the behalf of teammates, furthering his name as the leader of MMA in DR Congo and one of the top African fighters world wide.
Now, ''King Kong'' is set to return to his home soil as a superstar and the biggest prospect in African MMA as he takes on the experienced Karim Rabei. The fight is expected to be the biggest test to date in Kubanza’s professional MMA career, raising the stakes higher.
Ramazan Gitinov seeks revenge
The best amateur MMA fighter of all time with three IMMAF world championships to his name, Ramazan Gitinov returns at BRAVE CF 82 to continue his development as a professional when he fights DR Congo’s Prince Lolia. Gitinov is currently undefeated in his professional MMA career and is widely regarded as the overall best prospect in mixed martial arts today, having moved on to the pro ranks as the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the International MMA Federation rankings. But this fight is about more than adding to his impressive numbers.
Before going on an incredible 30-fight win streak as an amateur, Ramazan suffered two losses early on in his career and one of these losses came against Eliezer Kubanza. Gitinov now has the opportunity to avenge this loss when he takes on Kubanza’s fellow countryman and teammate Lolia. Eliezer has been instrumental in earning Lolia a shot at BRAVE CF, as he has personally spoken on several occasions with BRAVE CF executives on both Mulumba and Lolia, finally earning them shots at long-term contracts with the most global organization in the world.
If Ramazan is able to crush Lolia's dreams, then he will have extracted a bit of revenge for his loss against Kubanza, since both men are unlikely to ever fight again, given the distance between their weight classes as pro fighters.
