The mercury is rising within the BRAVE Combat Federation as we countdown the days to the MMA promotion's return to Africa.
BRAVE CF will break ground once again when it touches down in Mauritius for the first time on May 11 to roll out BRAVE CF 82 in St. Pierre.
It will be the fourth time BRAVE CF launches a show on the MotherLand following three events in South Africa and Morocco.
As we approach the East African Island’s first-ever BRAVE CF fight night, some fighters are struggling to contain their excitement as they show their intent and eagerness to make a statement on this historic card.
One of those fighters is the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Prince Lolia who has initiated some mind games aimed at his Lightweight opponent and Bahrain’s Ramazan Gitinov, hoping to unsettle the global superstar.
KHK Team Bahrain’s Gitinov recently posted pictures of himself training alongside original members of KHK, former UFC Lightweight king Khabib Nurmagomedov and current UFC Lightweight champion Islam Makhachev ahead of his fight at BRAVE CF 82.
Gitinov showed his appreciation for being able to train with the world’s best in his division and went further by expressing his desire to showcase his upgrades in Mauritius.
“Training with Islam and Khabib has been a great pleasure. They are the gold standard in Lightweight MMA and it is an honor to be here. Lions train with Lions and I want to be at the top, just like them. For that to happen, I need to work hard and I cannot wait to show the world what I have been working on. See you in Mauritius.”
The Russian-born Gitinov is a three-time International Mixed Martial Arts Federation world champion, a European, Asian, and MMA Super Cup gold medalist, currently on a 37-fight win streak. He has also been regarded as the pound-for-pound male amateur fighter in the world.
But, Lolia is not feeding into all the hype and aims to break down the man known as the greatest amateur fighter of all time.
Gitinov’s social media post hardly had time to cook before Lolia - who makes his BRAVE CF debut next weekend - responded by launching an attack on his upcoming opponent.
“Training with Khabib [Nurmagomedov] and Islam [Makhachev] is good but you are not Khabib and you are not Islam, your name is Ramazan Boring Fighter. A fighter with zero performance bonus; hugging hugging like a clown. I’m coming for you,” Lolia said to Gitinov who has 16 unanimous decision wins, eleven submissions, and five KO/TKOs.
The DRC star even went as far as taking Gitinov back to his first-ever loss against the former’s countryman Eliezer Kubanza, who knocked out Gitinov in 2017.
“Since Eliezer Kubanza knocked you out, I see the loss is still on your mind, I love this uppercut that cost you the fight, it will stay on your mind forever and you will not take it back, hugging-hugging fighter, your entire career you never even dropped a single fighter, shame."
Gitinov, a young man of few words, responded with a silent emoji and an hourglass, hinting that Lolia should stay quiet and that the clock is ticking closer toward their epic showdown.
“He [Ramazan] is the one who likes to hide his pretty face. I hope he learns how to dodge punches or maybe he will go for takedowns to hide his face like always, this is MMA. He must be a man and face reality,” Lolia responded.
Kubanza, who was keeping a keen eye on the exchanges responded on one of Lolia’s posts, applauding his protege for the manner in which he is hyping the fight: “Good business boy, all the best.”
The fight between Ramazan and Kubanza happened at the IMMAF African Open Championship when the two locked horns in the finals of the Welterweight category. It was Kubanza who came out on top with a third-round stoppage and in turn, handed Ramazan his first and one of only two losses in his 30-fight amateur career.
At BRAVE CF 82, Lolia will be looking to follow in the footsteps of his mentor Kubanza and hand Ramazan his first loss in Professional MMA.
Lolia has been unstoppable since making his professional debut with three wins in three fights in Africa’s premier MMA platform the EFC (Extreme Fighting Championship) with victories over notable African stars including Emmanuel Sita, Musa Sethwape and Elvis Ngwalangwala.
Kubanza will also be on the BRAVE CF 82 card as he takes on Algerian-born fighter Karim Rabei in a Super Welterweight bout.
The main event will see the trilogy showdown between BRAVE CF Bantamweight champion Nkosi Ndebele and former champion Jose ‘Shorty’ Torres. It will be the first-ever trilogy in BRAVE CF.
In the co-main event, Zimbabwe’s Nicholas Hwende looks to push his case for a Bantamweight title shot when he takes on the undefeated Tajikistan Khurshed Nazarov. Nazarov comes into the fight with a 9-0-1 record and can shake things up in the Bantamweight division if he manages to impress at BRAVE CF 82.
After a memorable 2023, Kubanza hopes to start 2024 on a high note as he fights the experienced Rabei. Kubanza is undefeated in his professional MMA career with all his wins coming via stoppages. Karim, on the other hand, has fought around the world in his decade-long career and makes his BRAVE CF debut at the event.
The card will also feature a Flyweight battle between Georgia’s Bidzina Gavashelishvili and South Africa’s former EFC Flyweight champion and Commonwealth Games Judo Gold Medallist Luthando Biko.
Just last month, a press conference was held at the Labourdonnais Waterfront in Port-Louis on April 2 in celebration of Mauritius’ first-ever BRAVE CF show.
Led by Mauritius MMA Federation President Mr. Avinash Ramtohul, Club Mauritius Chairman Mr. Giandev Moootia, and Mr. Maubarak Boodhun, Consultant (Former Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Sports), the press conference highlighted how the upcoming BRAVE CF event is bound to change the MMA landscape in Mauritius.
During the press conference, Mr. Avinash Ramtohul stressed the importance of the upcoming event and mentioned how it can unearth the potential of MMA in Mauritius.
"This event will open opportunities for local athletes and inspire them to new heights and shape their MMA careers and achieve the highest-ended MMA development,” Mr Avinash Ramtohul noted.
BRAVE CF 82 Full Fight Card
Bantamweight world championship: Nkosi Ndebele (c) vs Jose Torres 3
Bantamweight: Nicholas Hwende vs Khurshed Nazarov
Flyweight: Bidizina Gavashelishvili vs Luthando Biko
Featherweight: Ylies Djiroun vs Ananias Mulumba
Super Welterweight: Eliezer Kubanza vs Karim Rabei
Lightweight: Ramazan Gitinov vs Prince Lolia
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