A former champion looking for revenge, a one-time title challenger in search of validation, two explosive Super Lightweight bouts that highlight the need for a 165 lbs weight and the next two big things at Bantamweight. This is the main card of BRAVE CF 38, headlined by Abdoul Abdouraguimov and Carl Booth and taking place this Saturday, in Stockholm, Sweden.
Abdouraguimov is coming off back-to-back battles with the current Welterweight titleholder Jarrah Al-Selawe, who handed him his first pro loss in their last encounter. “The Conqueror”, one of the most underrated submission artists in Europe, is looking to get a third crack at “The Jordanian Lion” with a win over Booth.
The Englishman has been on a tear as of late, after being so close to BRAVE CF gold. At BRAVE CF 8, he was supposed to face Mohammad Fakhreddine for the first-ever Welterweight title, but his opponent fell ill during his weight cut, and Carlston Harris stepped in, stifling Booth’s striking with his wrestling.
Carl then fought Al-Selawe for the second time – after beating the current champ by KO before BRAVE CF. This time, however, Jarrah was the better man, beating Booth by decision. The two losses forced the Nottingham native to take a step back and work on his defensive wrestling which has been showcased in his latest wins, over tough Dino Bagattin and Hayder Hassan.
In the Super Lightweight division, two pivotal bouts take center stage at BRAVE CF 38, which showcases why this weight- is so important for the sport. Too big for Lightweight, too small for Welterweight, both Mario Saeed and Benoit St. Denis hope to thrive at 165lbs, with a view to challenging champ Eldar Eldarov.
The same can be said about Dutch striker Djamil Chan and grappler Issa Isakov. Even though both men are coming off losses, they hope to use BRAVE CF 38 to kickstart their career, as they found themselves in the same predicament as their co-main event counterparts.
In the Bantamweight division, a young, hungry fighter will have the chance to mix it up with an established contender. Bernando Sopai is only 21, but has been dominating the local scene in Greece and Albania, and will have his shot at the international stage. He will take on Tariq Ismail, who’s truly one of the most underrated Bantamweights in the world, and has shown in his first two BRAVE CF appearances that he’s dangerous at 135lbs and 145lbs.
As if it wasn’t enough, BRAVE CF 38 will also host a short turnaround for Malin Hermansson. Victorious at BRAVE CF 35, she will face off against her countrywoman Elin Oberg in a Flyweight matchup that can catapult her to the top of the division worldwide.
BRAVE CF 38 starts at approximately Noon ET 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 at Abu Dhabi Sports.
RESULTS:
It was a night to remember for French MMA at BRAVE CF 38, which took place this Saturday in Stockholm, Sweden. Both Abdoul Abdouraguimov and Benoit St. Denis finished their opponents in the two main bouts for the fastest-growing MMA organization’s return to Europe for its four of five events in five weeks.
In the main event, the former Welterweight world champion Abdoul Abdouraguimov quickly disposed of Carl Booth, taking the Englishman down, and hunting for a submission, eventually landing a D’Arce choke which made “The Bomber” tap.
At Super Lightweight, Benoit St. Denis earned the first knockout of his career as he TKO’d Mario Saeed in the second round. After an event first frame on the ground, “The God of War” turned up the pressure on the stand-up, and landed several body shots which were instrumental in wearing Saeed down. Eventually, St. Denis was able to drop his opponent and finish the fight.
Before the two most important bouts, two young names stood out in a stellar fight card. Bantamweight Bernardo Sopai made his BRAVE CF debut at only 19-years-old and dominated previously undefeated Tariq Ismail en route to a unanimous decision victory. “The Lion King” improved to 8-1 as a professional with the win.
In the only women’s bout of the evening, Elin Oberg surprised Malin Hermansson with a series of hard body kicks and jabs, that nullified her opponent’s ground game and earned the biggest win of her young career, improving to 3-1, while Malin dropped to 5-2.
BRAVE CF continues its European Invasion next week with BRAVE CF 39 also taking place in Stockholm, Sweden.
Check Abdoul’s finish in the main event:
Full BRAVE CF 38 Results:
Welterweight: Abdoul Abdouraguimov def. Carl Booth by submission (D’Arce choke) – Round 1
Super Lightweight: Benoit St. Denis def. Mario Saeed by TKO – Round 2
Bantamweight: Bernardo Sopai def. Tariq Ismail by unanimous decision
Super Lightweight: Issa Isakov def. Djamil Chan by unanimous decision
Catchweight (56 kg): Elin Oberg def. Malin Hermansson by split decision
Catchweight (74 kg): David Jacobsson def. Dilmurod Movlonov by unanimous decision
Catchweight (72 kg): Robert Nystrom def. Joakim Jankovic by submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1
Bantamweight: Jonny Touma def. Moher Azizi by majority decision
Catchweight (68 kg): PK Zadeh def. Wasiu Idowu by unanimous decision
