NEWS

The year of 2020 was full of inspiring stories and victories for the ages at BRAVE Combat Federation. But who were the five athletes who stood out from the pack and made these challenging times also a time to shine?

BRAVE Combat Federation’s 2020 Year of Change Awards announced the nominees for one of its most important categories: Fighter of the Year. The list is composed by a mix of World Champions, former World Champions, and fighters in the hunt of ultimate glory.

The first nominee is arguably one of the most popular and beloved Middle Eastern athletes of all time: Mohammed “The Latest” Fakhreddine. After being struck by personal and public tragedies, Fakhreddine managed to make the year of 2020 as the year he finally became the world champion, capturing BRAVE CF’s Middleweight title in style, with a fourth-round-knockout over Daniel Gaúcho in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

The second nominee, Amin Ayoub, also got his first international MMA belt in 2020 and did it in the most competitive division of any Mixed Martial Arts promotion, the Lightweight. Ayoub challenged the champion Cleiton “Predator” Silva and got a knockout in the fourth, after a solid and decisive performance.

The third name on this list is a former world champion who found again the passion for fighting and made 2020 the year of his comeback. After losing his title to Jarrah Al Silawi in 2019, Abdoul Abdouraguimov rose from the ashes and submitted Carl Booth and Louis Glismann to become, yet again, the Welterweight number one contender.

Another veteran who got back to the top in 2020 was Philippines’ Rolando Dy. With two huge wins, against Maciek Gierszewski and John Brewin, “The Incredible” became the heavily favorite to be the next Lightweight world title challenger.

The last nominee is also the youngster among all. 24-year-old British prospect Sam Patterson is undefeated in his last six fights and recently got the biggest win of his professional career, knocking out the veteran Felipe Silva in less than two-and-a-half minutes.

Nominees:

Abdoul Abdouraguimov

Mohammad Fakhreddine

Sam Patterson

Rolando Dy

Amin Ayoub