NEWS

BRAVE Combat Federation president Mohammed Shahid was on the ground in Ljubljana, Slovenia, to help launch the first BRAVE CF event of the year, which will take place at the Hala Tivoli Arena, on April 20. The press conference that officially kicked off BRAVE CF 81, in association with leading regional organization WFC, also featured Zlatko Mahic, president of WFC; Kerrith Brown, president of the IMMAF (International MMA Federation); and Serbian MMA Federation president Luka Nikolic.

In his opening remarks, Shahid explained his excitement at the return of the most global MMA organization in the world to Slovenia, following the success of last year’s BRAVE CF 70, which also took place in April. The president of BRAVE CF was also keen to stress that the collaboration between the national and international federations was key to building a new age for MMA in Europe and said that 2024 is the year the continent will be introduced to the new era for the sport.

‘’Today, we are here in Slovenia to announce our upcoming event here. But this time is different from the other times we’ve been here in beautiful Ljubljana. We come here today as the fastest growing and most global MMA organization in the world, the only one to be hosted in 30 countries and five continents. And what we’re doing in 2024 is showing the impact that we’ve had and will have in European MMA. In total, BRAVE CF has hosted 22 events in 13 European countries thus far. No organization is close to matching these numbers. We have the largest market share in Europe and through our close relationship with the IMMAF, and the national federations, represented here by the president of the Serbia Federation, as well as WFC, we will be bringing a new era of MMA in Europe. From the amateur level to the continental expertise and to a global organization, we will be bringing BRAVE CF to Slovenia on two occasions in 2024 and to many more countries in the continent this year’’, said Mohammed Shahid without specifying the new locations in 2024. 

Shahid also explained why it is key for MMA to have these different levels of organizational bodies sharing the common goal of elevating the sport to new heights and said that BRAVE CF's fight is in making sure MMA can be talked about in the same conversation as the likes of football, basketball and other mainstream sports. For that, said Shahid, there needs to be the introduction of a new business model and the creation of a new sports economy for mixed martial arts.

‘’Our relationship with the IMMAF has been perfect because we share the same goal. Our goal is not just to host events and that’s it. Other promotions are fighting for that spot, of being the number one or number two organization in the world. Our competition is different, it’s with the rest of the world. Football, cricket, tennis, basketball, why can’t MMA be up there with these other top sports? To be there, we need a proper grassroot development program, we need a global organization like ours to work together to get MMA to the Olympics, but at the same time, create a new model, a model that is sustainable for athletes, for media, for everyone involved in the industry, and to create a new sports economy for mixed martial arts’’.

Aside from BRAVE CF 81, the organization will also partner up with WFC for another show in 2024, which will take place on October 19. BRAVE Combat Federation will soon release its calendar for the year, which is expected to feature return to previous hosting nations around the world, as well as debuts in new European countries, as president Shahid teased.