It takes a long time to make your way up the ladder - and for Nkosi Ndebele and Jose Torres, their moment in the sunshine arrives this weekend when they battle for the BRAVE bantamweight championship.
Neither of these men wanted to wait this long for their big break. However, this is how the cards have been dealt, and they’ll still be ready to grab this chance with both hands when Saturday comes around.
In one corner, you’ve got a long, rangy striker who is able to pull out every trick in the book in an attempt to get you out of there. In the other, you’ve got a short, compact wrestler who will try and wear you down, drag you into the deep waters, and force you to quit.
Nkosi Ndebele’s team is as confident as they possibly could be heading into this encounter. They don’t feel like it’s going to go the distance with a “maximum” of three rounds being touted, with the man himself suggesting that he lives, sleeps, eats, and dreams of becoming a world champion.
As for Jose Torres, the prediction from his teammates was a simple one: ground and pound or submission finish in the second, third or fourth round, depending on how long his opponent lasts. He’s stated before that he’s had to overcome obstacles that fans don’t even know about, and with a platform like this, you can bet he won’t be quick to waste it.
Sam Brett, the athlete relations manager for BRAVE Combat Federation, believes things happen for a reason - and that the third time's the charm after this matchup fell apart on two separate occasions prior to their imminent showdown in the Colombian capital.
Mohammed Shahid, the BRAVE CF president, thinks this simply had to be the fight that headlined Pan-American Combat Week. Both fighters are products of the IMMAF system, and they’re ready to prove why it works so well.
Who can finally grab that brass ring? We’re about to find out.
BRAVE CF 73 takes place on August 12, at the Coliseo El Salitre, in Bogota, Colombia. The main event of the evening will see the vacant bantamweight world title on the line as Jose “Shorty” Torres takes on Nkosi “The Future” Ndebele. You can watch the action live on DAZN.