MIXED MARTIAL ARTS – LUIZ Cado became the new Super Welterweight champion of BRAVE Combat Federation following an historic event in Spain that delivered big time, with the Bahraini company changing the landscape of mixed martial arts (MMA) in the country through its partnership with leading local organisation Fight2One.
The fight night was headlined by the first-ever MMA world title fight on Spanish soil as former BRAVE CF Super Welterweight champion Kamal Magomedov put his title on the line against Cado, the Brazilian contender, in the main event.
The historic title fight ended dramatically, with Cado capturing the title due to a disqualification after illegal strikes by Magomedov. In the first round, Cado set the pace for the fight and managed to wobble Magomedov midway, but the champion remained calm and survived the exchange. Cado continued to press forward with leg kicks and strikes, finishing the round strong and as the clear winner.
Early in the second round, Magomedov responded with a huge takedown and then landed strikes to the back of Cado’s head, causing a cut. This prompted the referee to step in and stop the fight, awarding Cado the victory by disqualification.
With the title win, Cado became the sixth Brazilian world champion in BRAVE CF, while Magomedov faced the first defeat of his MMA career.
The quickest finish of the night came in the co-main event as Richie Smullen secured a victory over Spanish MMA veteran Jose Sanchez within seconds. Smullen locked in a guillotine choke during the initial exchange, forcing Sanchez to submit in just 29 seconds, silencing the Spanish crowd. The win extended Smullen’s winning streak to four fights.
Former kickboxing world champion Ilias Bulaid made quick work of Swiss MMA veteran Anthony Riggio and finished the fight in the first-round. Bulaid’s striking prowess kept Riggio on the defensive, eventually pinning him against the cage. A series of elbows and knees cut Riggio open, and Bulaid finished the bout with a powerful leg kick, maintaining his unbeaten MMA record.
Anuar Bensayid and Sino Sabzaliev delivered an instant classic which went down into the books as a potential Fight of the Year contender. The fighters started slowly in the first round with Bensayid dominating in striking and Sabzaliev on the ground. The pace of the fight picked up in the second round as the fighters delivered non-stop action for five minutes throwing strikes from all angles. Sabzaliev dropped Bensayid at one point of the round only to see the Moroccan coming back with some vicious elbows that cut open Sino. The leg kicks of Bensayid caused issues for Sabzaliev in the second round and in the third, Bensayid doubled down on the leg kicks, eventually stopping his Tajikistani opponent to get his second win in BRAVE CF.
In the only women’s fight of the card, Andrea Meneses Garcia secured the biggest win of her career by submitting Adriana Fusini in the second round via rear-naked choke. After dropping Fusini midway through the round, Garcia followed up with ground strikes before securing the submission, breaking her two-fight winless streak.
Gerard Burns delivered another strong performance in BRAVE CF, outclassing Santiago Paiva over three rounds to extend his winning streak to five and remain undefeated in the organisation. Despite Paiva’s early submission threats, Burns took control and dominated throughout the three rounds. Already successful in the Flyweight division with two back-to-back first round knockout wins, Burns made his mark in Bantamweight with the win and called out Muhammad Mokaev post-fight.
The opening fight saw Spain’s Oscar Mendez earn a third consecutive victory with a dominant decision win over Tony Sipos, outgrappling the proven submission specialist. Elsewhere, the fight between Daan Duijs and Abdelmoumen Mssaate was cancelled shortly before the event, as Duijs withdrew due to illness.
BRAVE CF 89 concluded the “Around the World in 70 Days” tour, which included events in China, Pakistan, Bulgaria, the Netherlands, and Slovenia. The organisation will now head to Austria for BRAVE CF 90 on November 23, marking Austria as the 35th country and the 16th European nation to host BRAVE CF, extending world records in the process.
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