NEWS

BRAVE Combat Federation has stood out from the pack since its inception. Investing in a strong scouting program, the fastest-growing MMA promotion in the world has been able to identify some of the top youngsters, provide them with a global platform, and turn them into international stars. That has been crystal clear with the latest development, as Khamzat Chimaev and Amir Albazi have signed with the UFC and will make their debuts this coming week.

Chimaev was signed by BRAVE CF as a 2-0 local prospect in Sweden. During his tenure with the organization, the Chechnya-born Swede developed into one of the most feared Welterweights in Europe. Showing his complete and well-rounded game, "Borz" won four fights for BRAVE CF, including a shocking first-round KO victory over Ikram Aliskerov, who was undefeated at the time and is still seen as a top prospect himself.

As he announced his new deal, Khamzat made sure to thank BRAVE CF president Mohammed Shahid and His Highness Shaikh Khaled bin Hamad Al Khalifa for playing a huge part in his career, by giving him the opportunity to showcase his talent to a worldwide audience.

"I'd like to thank Mohammed Shahid and His Highness Shaikh Khaled for giving me the opportunity to show my skills. I will forever be grateful", said the Welterweight.

Amir Albazi, on the other hand, was well-known in England and Sweden, but first got international attention when he signed up to fight Jose "Shorty" Torres at BRAVE CF 23. Even though he lost that fight, BRAVE Combat Federation gave him a shot against Ryan Curtis, which he took it and came out victorious.

Khamzat and Albazi are just the latest in a line of fighters that BRAVE CF has been able to identify and groom into world-level fighters and international stars, due to the promotion's strategy of globalizing not just through media exposure, but also by holding events all over the world and partnering up with local federations in combat sports - this has given BRAVE CF a first look at future stars around the globe.

Nigerian-American Sodiq Yusuff is so far undefeated in the UFC, and even though he only has one BRAVE CF bout, that win was the ticket he needed to prove himself. Yusuff was coming off the only loss of his career when he signed for BRAVE CF but was able to impress the UFC when he beat Dylan Tuke at BRAVE CF 10.

Brazilian Klidson de Abreu was a champion for BRAVE CF before signing for the UFC, as was Ottman Azaitar. The Moroccan stand-out was the first-ever BRAVE CF Lightweight champion before the company let him go due to inactivity. Azaitar signed with the UFC and had a strong debut, shocking the fans with a violent one-punch KO over Teemu Packalen in last year's UFC Abu Dhabi event.

All of the above-mentioned names weren't on any other big promotion's radar, and that speaks about the work being done at BRAVE Combat Federation. The organization has been at the forefront of providing unknown but quality fighters with opportunities to be recognized worldwide and fans can only hope that trend continues as the Bahraini organization also returns to action next week with BRAVE CF 35, in Romania.