In one of the most significant events in local MMA history, BRAVE CF 85 delivered on all fronts in a wondrous showing in Lahore. BRAVE Combat Federation made a long-awaited return to Pakistan on Sunday night, hosting the first-ever India vs. Pakistan MMA matches on Pakistani soil.
The event started off with Iran’s Mojtaba Nasiri marking the occasion with a monumental achievement, successfully executing BRAVE CF’s first-ever Von Flue choke to submit Yuki Angdembe, who also made history as the promotion’s first Nepalese fighter. This victory marked Nasiri’s fifth consecutive submission win and his second in BRAVE CF.
In the second bout, Bahrain’s Murad Guseinov kept his unbeaten record intact by swiftly defeating Ruslan Serikpulov of Kazakhstan with a first-round TKO through ground and pound, earning his eighth consecutive victory.
In the first Pakistani appearance of the night, Abbas Khan made a strong return to BRAVE CF with a commanding performance, earning a unanimous decision victory over Egypt’s Adham Mohamed by dominating the clinch throughout all three rounds.
Georgia’s Lasha Abramishvili had an impressive debut in the promotion, finishing Bahrain’s Muhammad Idrisov by TKO in the second round.
In the second Pakistani appearance of the night, Aqib Awan sadly suffered defeat against Filipino fighter Marwin Quirante who took the win with a brutal front kick KO worthy of a highlight reel mere seconds into their Flyweight division bout.
The Pakistani camp would soon recover from this loss though, with Ismail “The Volcano” Khan securing a second-round submission victory over Kazakh World Wrestling Championship medalist Bagylan Zahakansha, making an impressive BRAVE CF debut. After his win, Ismail declared that he wanted to face an Indian opponent in his next BRAVE CF fight.
In the much-awaited first-ever India vs. Pakistan MMA fight held in Pakistan, Zia Mashwani defeated Indian MMA veteran Bharat Khandare with a first-round submission. Mashwani started aggressively and capitalized on a scramble on the ground, locking in a triangle choke to secure the victory.
Congolese fighter Eliezer Kubanza stormed to his third straight first-round finish in BRAVE CF, knocking out Salamat Orozakunov of Kyrgyzstan with some powerful punches. Still undefeated and improving his record to 6-0, Kubanza called out Super Welterweight contender Alex “Da Killa King” Lohoré as his desired next opponent.
The co-main event showcased another thrilling India vs. Pakistan encounter between Srikant Sekhar and Rizwan Ali. Srikant dominated the first two rounds with superior-top control, while Rizwan responded with strikes from the bottom and made two submission attempts in the second round. With both fighters showing signs of exhaustion in the third round, Rizwan landed a decisive right hand that knocked Srikant out to clinch the win. Srikant Sekhar had to be stretchered out as Rizwan celebrated a decisive victory.
In the Featherweight main event, Kazakhstan’s Rauan Bekbolat pulled off the night’s biggest upset by defeating heavy favourite Omar Solomanov in the third round, putting an end to the Ukrainian’s 11-fight winning streak with a guillotine choke. With this win, Bekbolat earned the title of the new number-one contender in the Featherweight division and extended his own winning streak to five fights.