Surviving Covid-19: The BRAVE CF fight

No one could have imagined what 2020 was preparing when the year started. When the clock hit 00:00 and suddenly it was January 1st once again, it seemed that with a few twists here and there, it was going to be just the usual, except that the normality in force back then now seems a long and distant past.

Fast forward almost eight months and here we are. A global pandemic of unprecedented consequences struck the entire world, sadly, hundreds of thousands lost their lives, borders were shut for the first time in a long time, travel restrictions applied, businesses plummeted around the globe, and every single person’s lifestyle was shaken to the core faster than anyone could predict.

Amid this historical and challenging moment, many struggled to keep going on: important national and international companies shut down, governments worldwide issued massive bailouts to corporations and social security assistance to citizens, and some countries spiralled down towards the worst recessions in the recent memory.

Still, some managed to thrive in this hostile environment and one of those examples was, without a doubt, the Bahrain-based Mixed Martial Arts promotion BRAVE Combat Federation, founded by His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

Right when the dimension of the Covid-19 crisis made itself evident, the promotion took the lead and suspended indefinitely all its scheduled events -- the plans for 2020, as it had been for the two previous years, were to hold 12 events in 12 different countries.

The idea was to, first and foremost, preserve the health of the thousands of people involved with the organization of a single BRAVE CF fight night, plus the other thousands that attend the events. Secondly, to better understand the extension of the actions that would’ve to be taken and when would be safe to return implementing them, according to international health bodies.

The organization then turned its attention to how it could be useful to society in terms of combating Covid-19. Inside the Kingdom of Bahrain, its home country, BRAVE CF was pivotal in some key government activities, focused on controlling the spread of the virus and reaching communities in social vulnerability.

In accordance with its international presence, the truly global MMA promotion also kicked off a global awareness campaign, helping to advertise the best practices and certified recommendations by national and international health organizations.

Internally, BRAVE’s results were even more noteworthy. Rather than laying off staff, which had been the common rule of thumb of business to survive the Pandemic, BRAVE CF further increased manpower and maintained job security for its employees

Additionally, the months off were used to expand the brand activities and work on the strongest Covid-19 protocol in the sport of Mixed Martial Arts. Thus, in July, BRAVE CF announced a staggering number of six new content distribution agreements with market giants in three different continents and, in parallel, was able to confirm its return ensuring the safety and security of all involved.

The first leg of BRAVE CF return came to an end on Monday (27), with the second consecutive event in Romania. From there, BRAVE CF remains in Europe for another series of shows, in Sweden, Poland, and Belgium.

With professionalism and social responsibility, BRAVE Combat Federation was able to contribute to the community in hard times as the ones we’re living and internally ensure that it’s steady as always and stronger than ever.