BRAVE Combat Federation took on Chinese promotion YFU in a special co-promoted fight card in Zhengzhou, China at BRAVE CF 84, with the Bahraini promotion running out 5-1 winners on the night.
The only non-tournament fight on the card was the main event, as Bidzina Gavashelishvili claimed a unanimous decision victory over Erasyl Shukataev in their 59.2kg catchweight contest.
Shukataev knocked Bidzina down twice in the first round and troubled the Georgian with his reach advantage. However, Bidzina controlled the pace in the second round with precise boxing and a late takedown.
Bidzina relied on his grappling and clinch skills in the third round to neutralize his Kazakh opponent’s reach advantage and cruised to victory.
Following his win, Bidzina said that he is top contender in the flyweight division and declared his intent to pursue the title.
The co-main event, which headlined the BRAVE CF vs. YFU portion of the card, featured a high-level technical contest between Brice Picaud and Qinghe Zhang.
Both fighters engaged in back-and-forth grappling exchanges, living up to the pre-fight expectations. Unfortunately, the fight ended anticlimactically when Zhang suffered a knee injury after the second round, forcing the referee to call off the bout and award a TKO victory to Picaud, who wrapped up the dominant performance of BRAVE CF fighters.
Borislav Nikolic made a strong case for a bantamweight title shot by securing a first-round TKO victory over Eqiyuebu, who entered the fight on a four-fight winning streak.
Nikolic dominated early in the stand-up and brought the fight to the ground with a guillotine attempt. Although the 19-year-old Chinese star escaped the submission attempt, Nikolic’s experience proved decisive as he finished the fight with elbows from the top position, and even went as far as taking the initiative to stop landing down blows on his opponent, “inviting” the referee to finish the fight.
The bout between Maimaitituoheti and Izzeddine Al Derbani delivered big time, with both fighters exchanging heavy strikes from the start. Al Derbani took control midway through the first round with his kicks and quickly ended the fight by submitting his Chinese opponent with a triangle choke, bouncing back strongly from his loss at BRAVE CF 80.
Former Interim title challenger Olzhas Eskaraev delivered a dominant performance, overwhelming China’s Zehao Zhang over three rounds to secure a unanimous decision win. This victory marks Eskaraev’s second consecutive win in BRAVE CF, bringing him closer to a potential rematch with BRAVE CF lightweight champion Abdisalam Kubanychbek.
Yang Weiqiang handed Mohamed Alsameea his first professional MMA loss in the second fight of the night, securing the lone victory for YFU in the promotional duel. Yang nearly finished Alsameea in the second round after struggling against the Bahraini’s grappling in the opening round. In the third round, Yang opened a cut on Alsameea with vicious elbows on the ground before earning a decision victory.
Kazakhstan’s Aivaz Aidinov utilized his wrestling skills to dominate Peng Zhengwen in the opening bout, securing a decision win and setting the tone for the BRAVE CF fighters.
BRAVE CF 84 was the organisation’s fourth event of the year, following events in Slovenia, Mauritius, and the Netherlands. Next, the BRAVE CF cage heads to Pakistan for BRAVE CF 85, which will be held as part of BRAVE International Combat Week in Lahore on August 18.
BRAVE CF 84: Official results
- Bidzina Gavashelishvili def. Erasyl Shukataev via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Brice Picaud def. Qinghe Zhang via TKO (retirement) – Round 2, 5:00
- Borislav Nikolic def. Eqiyuebu via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 4:57
- Izzeddine Al-Derbani def. Maimaitituoheti via submission (triangle choke) – Round 1, 3:49
- Olzhas Eskaraev def. Zehao Zhang via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Yang Weiqiang def. Mohamed Alsameea via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Aivaz Aidinov def. Peng Zhengwen via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
