Ylies Djiroun Submits Rakhman Makhazhiev in Brave CF 48 Headliner

Ylies Djiroun has a debut to remember as he submits Abdul-Rakhman Makhazhiev in the third round of #BRAVECF48#ArabianNight pic.twitter.com/SDih8FBYih

— BRAVE Combat Federation (@bravemmaf) March 18, 2021

Ylies Djiroun, also known as “Broly,” announced to Brave Combat Federation that his power is maximum.

The Brave CF 48 main event saw Professional Fighters League vet Djiroun (18-6) debut with Brave against Rakhman Makhazhiev (9-6) at 155 pounds. “Broly” dropped Makhazhiev with a punch-head kick combination early in the first round. Djiroun pushed to finish “Ot Dushy Paren” with some hammerfists from side control, but the Russian recovered from the shots and composed himself. Sensing that he had an edge in the striking exchanges, the Frenchman got back to his feet and invited his opponent to follow him. Makhazhiev di not oblige, instead pressuring Djiroun with his wrestling to grind out the round.

In the second stanza, Djiroun managed to keep the fight on the feet as Makhazhiev persisted with his takedown-oriented game plan. Much of the action took place on the feet, with strike and stuffed takedowns. Midway through the third round, Makhazhiev was becoming more and more frustrated after failing to drag the fight down to the ground. The Russian rushed head-first to take Djiroun to the mat, and the Frenchman countered with a quick guillotine choke. After attempting to defend it for few seconds, Makhazhiev was forced to tap. The official time indicated 3:34 in Round 3.

In the co-main event, Ahmed Labban (10-4) and Nemanja Kovac (13-4) collided in Brave’s super lightweight division of 165 lbs. The evening seemed to bode well for Kovac, who dropped Labban with an uppercut early in the fight. After grappling for a while, the referee made the fighters stand. Labban learned the lesson and respected Kovac’s punches more for the rest of the first round. Nevertheless, “The Shadow” scored a jumping knee to the body as he kept showcasing his peculiar footwork.

In the second stanza, Labban seemingly injured his foot but bit the bullet and kept attacking his opponent with body kicks and punches. One particular sequence saw Labban landing a series of knees on Kovac. The Serbian fighter stoically resisted, but his stamina dropped consistently. Labban kept moving around Kovac in the third, looking for the right angle to put away his opponent. Even after taking a liver shot from Labban, Kovac kept advancing. Ultimately, the Serbian’s heart wasn’t enough to win the battle as the judges rewarded Labban with a unanimous decision victory. The ring announcer read 30-27, 30-27, and 30-27 scorecards in favor of “The Shadow.”

Earlier on the card, Cage Warriors Fighting Championship alum Olli Santalahti (12-3) edged Georges Eid (7-4) in a 169-pound catchweight contest. Santalahti mainly relied on his wrestling while Eid showcased his power punches, and he even forced the doctor to check in on Santalahti’s face from swelling but the fight was able to continue. When the dust settled, two judges scored 29-28, 29-28, in favor of Santalahti, while the third saw it 29-28 for Eid.

Nkosi Ndebele lands another knee finish at #BRAVECF48 #ArabianNight

Flawless performance! pic.twitter.com/D28yfAfCbY

— BRAVE Combat Federation (@bravemmaf) March 18, 2021

Nkosi Ndebele (4-1) put Abdelmoumen Mssaate (6-4) away with knees in their bantamweight clash. After dominating the first round with his superior striking, Ndebele made the most out of his muay Thai clinch, landing an abundance of knees to Mssaate. As Ndebele continued his assault, he dropped Mssaate, forcing referee intervention at 46 seconds into the second frame.

Murtaza Talha Ali (3-0) spoiled the organizational debut of Cameron Meintjes (5-2) in their 194-pound catchweight affair. Talha Ali punished a takedown attempt from Meintjes with a pair of elbows to the head, and a quick barrage of punches shut Meintjes’ lights out. The contest officially ended 1:59 into in the first round.

Azat Maksum (12-0) kept his record unblemished after slugging his way through Michael Aljarouj (7-3) in a bout scheduled at a 129-pound catchweight. The match was closely contested through two rounds, until “Kazakh” caught Aljarouj with a massive right hand that wobbled “The Soldier.” Maksum sought the finish and achieved it by scoring a takedown, where he followed up with ground-and-pound to call a halt to the fight at 56 seconds of the third round.

Yousif Ghrairi (8-2) handed Hassan Talal (3-2) his second consecutive loss at featherweight, doing so with a vicious knee that put Talal away in the third period. After enduring his opponent’s wrestling for most of the fight, “The Widow Maker” delivered a picturesque knee that short-circuited Talal in the last round. Talal needed a few minutes to recover from the shot, and the ring announcer declared that the fight ended at 2:53 in Round 3.

Elsewhere, Abbas Khan (1-1) scored his first career victory by taking a decision Omar Eldafrawy (5-3) in their 165-pound matchup. Khan displayed a more versatile offensive skillset than his opponent, tiring him out with wrestling while also doing some damage on the feet with effective boxing. Eventually, all three judges awarded 30-27 scorecards for Khan.

In a 194-pound catchweight fight, Hassan Fakhreddine (3-0) annihilated Islam Mostafa (2-1) strikes in the opening round. Fakhreddine caught his opponent with a kick to the liver that folded his opponent in half, and finished the job with a few follow-up punches. The official end came at 3:49.

It took less than half a round for Eslam Abdul Baset Syaha (11-2, 1 NC) to smash up Mohamad Ghorabi (6-6) at middleweight. “Ironman” looked for a quick finish, taking down his opponent and mauling him with heavy punches on the canvas. After noticing that Ghorabi was no longer intelligently defending himself, the referee stepped in at 2:04.

Hussein Salem (7-3) made his successful promotional debut at a 154-pound scheduled catchweight bout by stopping Gerson Pereira de Jesus (12-9). After dominating the opening round, Salem scored a knockdown with a combination of a spinning elbow followed by another elbow to the temple. With his opponent flat on his back, Salem earned the victory by finishing him off with a few finalizing punches that concluded the match at 3:35 of the second frame.

Maysara Mohamed (5-0) stayed undefeated by outpointing Issa Salem (5-2) at a pre-scheduled 130-pound catchweight contest. Salem came close to finishing the fight in the first round with a rear-naked choke, but Mohamed survived to turn the battle in his favor. Ultimately, all three judges rewarded the Egyptian fighter with unanimous 29-28 scorecards.

In a 145-pound clash, Abdulla Alyaqoob (1-0) upended Ramyar Luqman (1-1) via unanimous decision after taking the fight on 24 hours’ notice. Alyaqoob swept the scorecards with 30-27, 30-27, and 29-28 nods from the judges in his first fight as a professional.

In the first matchup on the card, five-time wushu sanda champion Mohsen Mohammadseifi (1-0) made his successful MMA debut by wrecking Bichi Zakaria (0-1) in 43 seconds at lightweight.