Daniel "Gaucho" brutalizes Chad Hanekom, becomes first-ever BRAVE CF Middleweight champion

It was a night to remember for Daniel "Gaucho" Souza Pereira, who wrote his own name in the history books as the first-ever BRAVE Combat Federation Middleweight world champion. With a violent performance in the main event of BRAVE CF 31, in Durban, South Africa, he silenced the South-African fans by knocking out local hero Chad Hanekom in the second round.

With a sprawl-and-brawl tactic, Daniel was able to fend off submissions attempts by Hanekom in the first round, before hurting him in the last few seconds. Still stunned, Hanekom came out in the second round without being able to fight to the best of his abilities, which played into the Brazilian powerhouse's hand.

Showing a lot of patience by waiting for the right moment to attack, Daniel connected with a violent combination and kept on Hanekom until the referee stopped the fight, putting him amongst BRAVE CF folklore as the first-ever world champion in the Middleweight division.

Also on the incredible fight night, a great performance by both Djamil Chan and Amin Ayoub ended with the French debutant having his hand raised, as he locked in a surprise and quick guillotine choke in the third round.

Jeremy Smith and Mzwandile Hlongwa lived up to the hype and put on an unforgettable show for the Durban crowd, as both men kept swinging for the fences from the first to the last minute. In the end, the effectiveness of Hlongwa was too much for Smith.

Opening up the main card, another violent KO, as Kevin Ruart put the lights out on Ibrahim Mane after the two men had an incredibly close first two rounds.

BRAVE CF 31 Results:

MAIN CARD

• Middleweight World Title: Daniel Souza def. Chad Hanekom by TKO - Round 2
• Catchweight bout (58 kg): Dansheel Moodley def. Anton Larsson by unanimous decision
• Catchweight bout (73 kg): Amin Ayoub def. Djamil Chan by submission (guillotine) - Round 3
• Middleweight bout: Mizwandile Hlongwa def. Jeremy Smith by unanimous decision
• Welterweight bout: Kevin Ruart def. Ibrahim Mane by KO - Round 3

PRELIMINARY CARD

• Featherweight bout: Tariq Ismail def. Cedric Doyle by unanimous decision
• Bantamweight bout: Abdul Hussein def. Martin Debeer by submission (ninja choke) - Round 1
• Bantamweight bout: Nkosi Ndebele def. Ian Cleary by unanimous decision
• Welterweight bout: Jason Culverwell def. Dimitri Fogg by submission (triangle choke) - Round 2
• Welterweight bout: Eleizer Kubanza def. Matt Raynard by KO - Round 3