A jokey pre-fight remark backfired on Antonio Bushev as his throwaway comment during a pre-fight interview came back to bite him when he faced off with opponent Khamzat Maaev at the BRAVE CF 86 weigh-ins.
The final faceoffs took place at the fighter hotel in Burgas, Bulgaria, with some heated staredowns between the rival competitors, but they managed to stay professional and in control of their emotions, with one notable exception.
When the time came for Bushev and Maaev to face off, the tension level in the room rose as Maeev got up close and personal with Bushev and whispered something to his rival, before slapping him across the face as they separated.
The slap was a direct riposte to Bushev’s comments from earlier in fight week, where he labelled Maeev as “Khamzat Chimaev from AliExpress, or Temu.”
The throwaway comment certainly drew Maaev’s attention, and he made sure Bushev knew about it during the faceoffs, with his slap setting the tone for what should be a lively encounter on Saturday at BRAVE CF 86.
The event is headlined by a pivotal clash at light heavyweight, as seasoned contender Bulgarian Atanas Djambazov and Algerian former title challenger Mohamed Said Maalem face off with the lure of a possible title shot on the horizon for the winner.
The co-main will see another Bulgarian star look to make his mark under the BRAVE CF banner, as Jivko Toimenov looks to pick up the 15th win of his career. But standing in his way is 34-fight veteran and surging super-welterweight contender Alex Lohore, whose promotional debut last time out saw him knock out former champion Marcin Bandel in stunning fashion. Another win for “Da Killa King” could propel him into a title fight next time out.
There’s also a battle between eight-win lightweights, as Bulgaria’s 8-1 Pavel Vladev faces off against 8-4 German Christian Mach.
And, kicking off the main card, we have that super lightweight matchup between Bushev and Maaev, which promises to deliver fireworks to get things started.
BRAVE CF 86: Official fight card
MAIN CARD
- Atanas Djambazov vs. Mohamed Said Maalem – light heavyweight
- Jivko Stoimenov vs. Alex Lohore – super welterweight
- Pavel Vladev vs. Christian Mach – lightweight
- Antonio Bushev vs. Khamzat Maaev – super lightweight
PRELIMINARY CARD
- Rusi Minev vs. Christos Tsirimokos – lightweight
- Gabriel Gilthon vs. Eduard Evdokimov – 68kg catchweight
- Anton Yanchev vs. Patryk Krzak – lightweight
