BRAVE Combat Federation’s Zach Makovsky has unfinished business within the most-global MMA promotion’s flyweight division.
Makovsky (21-11) will take on Brazil’s Flavio Queiroz (13-4) in the BRAVE CF 73 co-main event taking place in Bogota, Colombia, on August 12 in a bout that could help shape the division and open new doors for the victor.
Makovsky has been obsessing over the BRAVE CF title to such an extent that he still has the BRAVE CF logo and belt as his cellphone wallpaper.
“It’s still on there; it’s still on my phone. That belt is my main goal,” says Makovsky, who has been walking around with that wallpaper since his fight with Kazakhstan’s Asu Almabaev at BRAVE CF 60. Makovsky is one of the most-respected athletes in the world, a man who has competed at the highest levels. Despite impressing with a huge BRAVE CF debut win over the dangerous Russian Velimurad Alkhasov, the American hit a few stumbling blocks. He recorded two close split-decision losses in a rematch against Alkhasov and a bout with Almabaev.
While Makovsky came up short, he remains confident he is better than his last two opponents. “When Asu and Velimurad were in there, I viewed myself as one of the top guys who would compete for the title. Obviously, I had fights with them that could have gone either way and one that I think I definitely won. The BRAVE CF title is something that I would love to accomplish before I ultimately stop,” added Makovsky, with a record of 21-11.
His second BRAVE CF fight would be a high-stakes rematch against Alkhasov, as they entered the inaugural BRAVE CF flyweight tournament in which Makovsky fell out in the first round in a hard-fought split decision. The tournament had its fair share of controversy and heartbreak. Not only did “Fun Size” fail to capitalize when it mattered, but the competition was brought to a grinding halt after finalist Ali Bagautinov received the devastating news of his son’s passing. Bagautinov has since been on indefinite leave, and the promotion – out of respect for the mourning Russian – has put the flyweight tournament on hold.
“The tournament got crazy and didn’t work out the way it was planned to, obviously. But that’s one of the difficult things about tournaments, I think. A ton of stuff happens. The personal tragedy with Ali, and then injuries, the pandemic, and the subsequent lockdown, it all became a mess,” said Makovsky. Despite all that has transpired, Makovsky remains confident and focused on returning to the top of the division in pursuit of a golden BRAVE CF belt, and that journey continues next week in Bogota.
BRAVE CF 73 will close out the BRAVE Pan American Combat Week, which runs from August 10-13, in what will become the largest mixed martial arts event in Colombian history.
