The BRAVE CF featherweight championship is on the line this Friday as titleholder Roman Bogatov defends the gold against Nemat Abdrashitov in a true clash of styles that will leave every purist fan on the edge of their seats throughout the bout, however long it takes.
On paper, there are few fights better than this across 145 pounds - and that goes for promotions around the globe. Both men have expressed, throughout fight week, their confidence in walking away from the BRAVE CF 72 main event with a finish, and given their track record, nobody can be surprised if one of them manages to pull it off.
Bogatov, the defending champion, is currently enjoying the best run of his career. He was largely discredited before coming into the BRAVE CF folder, but as the king of the mountain at Featherweight, he’s thriving as he continues to find success out of Bali MMA in Indonesia, while curiously also living in his opponent’s native Kyrgyzstan, where he currently spends part of his training camps.
He’ll be hoping to maintain the tradition of BRAVE CF Featherweight champions successfully defending their belt at least once, following in the footsteps of Elias Boudegzdame and Bubba Jenkins. Elias, the first-ever world champion in BRAVE CF history, defended his title at BRAVE CF 10, before losing it to Bubba, who then maintained the belt at BRAVE CF 24. He subsequently vacated and Roman has taken over.
For Bogatov, the wrestling component might be the difference-maker, as he will look to dominate the grappling department to nullify his opponent’s striking advantage.
On the flip side, you’ve got the challenger, Nemat Abdrashitov. The knockout artist has scored three violent KOs in three outings with BRAVE CF, as he hopes to become the second Kyrgyz champ in the company’s history, following his friend and teammate Abdisalam Kubanychbek.
He’s certainly taken the long road to get to this point, but given that he’s on the run of his life, Nemat will be coming in full of confidence he can become the first man to stop the champion in mixed martial arts.
Don’t blink - this one could be special.
Watch Brave CF live on DAZN tonight. More details here.