Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Supreme Council for Youth and Sports first deputy president and Bahrain Mixed Martial Arts Federation (BMMAF) honorary president, praised the high level of competition on the first day of the World Mixed Martial Arts Championship yesterday at Khalifa Sports City Stadium in Isa Town.
Also the Brave International Combat Week High Organising Committee chairman, Shaikh Khalid watched the bouts and was impressed with the intensity shown by the fighters in the largest MMA sports festival in Asia.
This event is being held under the patronage of Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, His Majesty the King for Charity Works and Youth Affairs representative, Supreme Council for Youth and Sports chairman, and Bahrain Olympic Committee (BOC) president, and organised by BMMAF in partnership with International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) and Brave Combat Federation.
Shaikh Khalid’s presence served as source of inspiration for the participants, particularly the Bahrain fighters, as they showed high-level performance on their way to qualifying for the second round.
“The victories achieved by the fighters from all across the world in the championship are a clear indication of their great capabilities and reflect their keenness to achieve results that prove the extent of MMA’s development in the world,” said Shaikh Khalid.
“The first day of the championship witnessed a very distinguished presence of elite fighters who were keen to demonstrate the best technical levels and employed all their experience in order to achieve victory in those fights. We are very confident that they will achieve more victories and attain new achievements in the world championship that elevate their global standing.”
Meanwhile, Stephen Loman from the Philippines will be defending his bantamweight world championship title against Felipe Efrain from Brazil at Brave 18 taking place on Friday
Loman is the youngest world champion in Brave Combat Federation and the first bantamweight world champion to be crowned at Brave Combat Federation.
On the other hand, Efrain is the fighter with most number of knockouts in the bantamweight division.