Brave Combat Federation is once again at the forefront of positive change in mixed martial arts. The biggest MMA promotion in the Middle East has officially announced the launch of two new weight classes, designed to give further options to fighters who have problems making weight, especially between the lightweight and welterweight divisions.
In accordance with the new Unified Rules, Brave CF will add two new weight classes, while extinguishing one. The two divisions added are super lightweight (165 lbs or 74.8 kg) and super welterweight (175 lbs or 79.3 kg), which means the old welterweight division is extinct.
Fighters who have trouble making the old welterweight limit but feel they are too small to compete with middleweight counterparts will now have the choice of fighting at super welterweight, while those who can’t go down to lightweight have been offered a new path that doesn’t involve ballooning up to welterweight.
Former welterweight champion Jarrah Al-Selawe will now be crowned the new super welterweight titleholder and is most likely to have his first title defense in the first semester of 2019.
“The toughest thing about mixed martial arts is head trauma – it’s not great for you to get hit in the head,” began Kirik Jenness, official color commentator for Brave Combat Federation. “But as long as there’s men with heart – and women with heart – we’re going to do this sport. But we’ve got a problem that can be solved and that’s the culture of extreme weight cutting. There are people in this sport that lose 20 to 30 pounds of weight in order to fight. On the changes that’s been instituted at the government level, is to add a weight division, so you don’t have to jump from 170 to 185, where people are cutting from 205. And most of the global mixed martial arts organizations haven’t – yet – adopted it.”
Jenness’s partner in broadcasting duties, Phil Campbell, spoke of his excitement at the news that Brave will be adding two new weight classes for the next year.
“This is not only huge for Brave Combat Federation, but it is also huge for the sport of mixed martial arts,” said Campbell. “It has far-reaching for global MMA. I can’t wait!”
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Further details will be announced by Brave officials in the coming days, but the reaction has been positive among the Brave roster, with fighters such as Tahar Hadbi, Carl Booth, and David Bear welcoming the change.
