BRAVE Combat Federation featherweight champion Roman Bogatov (13-1) has quietly prepared for his first title defense, which takes place this Friday, June 23, in the main event of BRAVE CF 72, in Bahrain.

However, he let all his frustrations out on fight week, claiming Nemat Abdrashitov (18-8), his opponent, is no match for him, and even going as far as saying next contender Omar Solomonov (12-2) is not on his level.

“You know, Nemat is a very good fighter. I have studied him well, I know his strengths and weaknesses. I have to take care of his striking, but he’s not on my level. I wish him good health, and hopefully he can make it to the cage on Friday night. But this will be a losing effort for him, I am sure of it.”

Roman arrived in Bahrain on the day of BRAVE CF 71, which stamped Solomonov’s passport towards a title shot. The Ukrainian featherweight beat Ilyar Askhanov in the main event and will now face the winner of BRAVE CF 72’s main event for the title. The champion revealed he caught up with Solomonov training the day after BRAVE CF 72 but was unimpressed.

“The day after BRAVE CF 71, I saw him hitting mitts and training. This means he’s already training for the title fight, which is the right mentality to have, but this won’t matter to him. I am also ready mentally to defend at BRAVE CF 72 and then beat him.”

BRAVE CF 72 takes place at the National Stadium, in Riffa, Bahrain, on June 23, and is headlined by a world title fight, as champion Bogatov defends his title against KO machine and No. 1 contender Abdrashitov. In total, BRAVE CF 72 features eight bouts with 11 nations represented.