BRAVE Combat Federation, in association with Octagon League, will host its third event in the Central Asian nation of Kazakhstan and the intent and excitement on the faces of the 16 fighters could not be more visible with captivating staredowns on display at the weigh-ins in Almaty yesterday.
Making his debut, it was clear that Kyrgyzstan’s Ilyor Bakhtiyar Uulu is keen on showing the BRAVE nation what he is about when he takes on Saudi Arabia’s Abdullah Al Qahtani in their featherweight scrap.
Experienced campaigner Al Qahtani cut a relaxed figure while Bakhtiyar made his intentions known as he stepped right into his opponent’s personal space during their face-off, so much so that BRAVE CF officials had to intervene and stave off the hungry debutant before he quickly turned his back on his opponent, walking off stage while Al Qahtani embraced the moment, soaking it all up and taking it in his stride.
In a display of diversity and culture, the second featherweight staredown saw hometown hero Nurzhan Akishev and Pakistan’s Mehmosh Raza fly their respective countries’ flags high.
As soon as they got off the scales, their staredown got so heated that BRAVE CF officials stepped a bit closer in anticipation of a complimentary ‘round one’ ahead of today’s event.
Leading the BRAVE CF portion of the card were lightweight elite Kazakhstan’s Olzhas Eskaraev and the Philippines’ Rolando Dy. Without an utterance directed at each other, you could cut the tension with a knife, the moment became so intense that commentator Phil Campbell had to remind the two athletes to face the front.
Both obliged, however, they refused to break eye contact while raising their hands, staking their claim for victory ahead of the duel.
Meanwhile, Russian Akhmed Shervaniev, coming in at 71.7kg, failed to meet his required lightweight marker against countryman, Kamil Magomedov (70.6kg), but the barnburner will go ahead with Shervaniev forfeiting 30 per cent of his purse.
Former amateur and two-time light heavyweight world champion Bahrain’s Murtaza Talha (88.35kg) and his opponent Russian-born Kirill Khomitsky (88.45kg) made the cut to an agreed catchweight bout of 88.5kg.
Weigh-in results:
Lightweight – Olzhas Eskaraev (70.65kg) vs Rolando Dy (70.4kg)
Featherweight – Nurzhan Akishev (65.9kg) vs Mehmosh Raza (66.2kg)
Lightweight – Ilyar Askhanov (70.7kg) vs Razul Tezekbaev (70kg)
Lightweight – Kamil Magomedov (70.6kg) vs Akhmed Shervaniev (71.7kg); didn’t make weight, fined 30pc of purse
Catchweight 88.5kg – Murtaza Talha (88.35kg) vs Kirill Khomitsky (88.45kg)
Featherweight – Abdullah Al Qahtani (66.01kg) vs Ilyor Bakhtiyar Uulu (65.85kg)
Catchweight 63.5kg – Abdulfahad Ahmadi (63.45kg) vs Bair Shtepin (63.4kg)
Lightweight – Sanjarbek Erkinov (70.75kg) vs Anzor Abdulkhozhaev (70.75kg)
The show will be available worldwide, and through different networks, as BRAVE Nation has plenty of choices on how to watch the show, which features athletes from across the globe.
The organisation has put together a guide on how to watch BRAVE CF 62.
Below are the broadcast partners and where to watch the show.
BRAVE CF 62
Where: Almaty, KazakhstanWhen: Friday, September 30th
Start time: 4.30pm (GMT+6)
Where to watch:
BRAVE CF TV App - Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman
DAZN - United Kingdom, United States
Super Lutas - Brazil
OKKO Sport - Russia
Wataaa - Sub-Saharan Africa, France, French Guyana, French Antilles, Mayotte, Reunion, New Caledonia, Wallis & Futuna, Haiti, and Vanuatu
MyTV - Vietnam
SABC Sport - South Africa
LookSport - Romania
Fight Network - United Kingdom, Serbia, Greece, Slovenia, Montenegro, Angola, Mozambique, Nigeria, Israel, Caribbean, United States, Canada
O2 TV - Czech Republic, Slovakia
Bahrain TV - Bahrain