BRAVE Combat Federation is back with five shows in five weeks, the first two in Romania, and the final three in Sweden. BRAVE CF 36, the second event of the European Invasion, takes place in Bucharest on Monday, July 27.
COVID-19 travel restrictions forced two changes to the card. In the main event, Todd Stoute will now face Cristian Constantinov. Stoute was set to take on veteran Amílcar Alves, but the Brazilian will no longer be able to fly into Romania. He will be replaced by experienced kickboxer Cristian Constantinov, who steps up at a catchweight of 230 lbs to make his MMA debut.
“Magic Man” Maciej Gierszewski, who was supposed to face Sahil Siraj, will now take on Florin Pirtea at a 159 lbs catchweight. Florin fought for BRAVE CF’s first show in Romania in partnership with RXF and has been recruited for his second bout, this time on short notice.
BRAVE CF 36 will also feature some of the best prospects in the continent, with four undefeated fighters: Ion Surdu, Mochamed Machaev, Bilal Tipsaev, and Matiss Zaharovs. All four of them are deemed as some of the best-hidden gems in the European MMA scene.
Surdu is 10-0 as a pro and has high plans for his career with BRAVE CF. He takes on dangerous Kevin Ruart in a welterweight bout and comes for his first bout with the promotion ranked as the number one fighter in his weight in Romania.
Austria’s Machaev impressed the world in his first BRAVE CF outing, a unanimous decision victory over Matjaz Vicar, at BRAVE CF 34, earning him a new fight with the organization. Mochamed will take on Ciprian Maris, who’s 16-7, and hopes to add a second win at featherweight and move on to eventually fight for the title at 145 pounds.
Bilal Tipsaev and Matiss Zaharovs might only have four pro bouts between them, but they come in with a lot of expectations. “Borz” Tipsaev is only 1-0, but he has caught the eye of fans and media in the local scene in Sweden and aims to emulate his cousin Khamzat “Borz” Chimaev, who had a successful run with BRAVE CF, before being signed by the UFC and winning performance bonuses in his first two fights, a record-setting 11 days apart. Matiss (3-0), moves back up to bantamweight after a crushing BRAVE CF debut, beating Hussain Ayyad at flyweight.
BRAVE CF 36 starts at 1:30 p.m. ET (8:30 p.m. local time) and will be available live and free at BRAVE CF TV. In the USA, fans can watch the show through FITE TV, while the MENA region will be able to watch BRAVE CF 36 at Abu Dhabi Sports, and Romanians will watch the event at Sport Extra.
Event Outcome:
BRAVE CF’s second Romanian show in two weeks was full of top prospects and veterans pushing for a title fight. It was also full of drama and, once again, a come-from-behind victory. BRAVE CF 36 was headlined by veteran Todd Stoute, who made quick work of newcomer Cristian Constantinov, getting a first-round win and moving on to perhaps a Light Heavyweight title shot.
In the co-main event, Kevin Ruart was able to connect with a combination and put the lights out on previously undefeated Ion Surdu. The win was a much-needed one for Kevin, who then proceeded to call out Welterweight world champion Jarrah Al-Selawe.
“Magic Man” Maciej Gierszewski is another name who got his second BRAVE CF win by KO. After beating Cian Cowley and dropping a submission loss to John Brewin, the Polish Lightweight overwhelmed Bogdan Mihai. The same script was used for Mochamed Machaev and Ciprian Maris.
The Austrian prospect Machaev was too much for his more experienced counterpart, as “The Beast” put on a striking clinic, using his jabs to TKO Maris, who didn’t answer the bell for the third round.
In the night’s opening bout, two of the most talked-about European prospects faced off and Matiss Zaharovs used his defensive wrestling and striking game to give Bilal Tipsaev his first loss as a professional. The Latvian SBG Portarlington product was able to land a head kick in the third round and eventually finish his AllStars gym counterpart.
BRAVE CF next moves to Stockholm, Sweden as the fastest-growing MMA organization in the world will host its first show in the Scandinavian country this Saturday, August 1st, for BRAVE CF 37.
BRAVE CF 36 Official Results:
Catchweight (104 kg): Todd Stoute def. Cristian Constantinov by TKO – Round 1
Welterweight: Kevin Ruart def. Ion Surdu by KO – Round 1
Catchweight (72 kg): Maciej Gierszewski def. Bogdan Mihai by TKO – Round 1
Featherweight: Mochamed Machaev def. Ciprian Maris by TKO – Round 2
Bantamweight: Matiss Zaharovs defeats Bilal Tipsaev by TKO – Round 3
