Image Credit: BRAVE CF
BRAVE CF 39 was the third event in Stockholm, Sweden for the organisation in as many weeks and it was arguably the most entertaining yet. All five bouts on the card contained lots of competitive, high-paced action which is testament to the matchmaking for the show. Various talent from Europe has risen to prominence over recent weeks and Saturday night’s show was no different.
In the main event, Giannis Bachar welcomed BRAVE CF veteran, Tahar Hadbi, back to the cage after a 27-month layoff and hoped to insert himself in the upper echelon of the welterweight division. Bachar landed a number of leg kicks during the opening stages and wobbled Hadbi with a left hook. The Greek athlete mixed up his strikes nicely and targeted the body on a number of occasions. It appeared as though Hadbi needed the first round to blow off the cobwebs but he started to fire back with strikes of his own towards the end of the stanza.
Both men exchanged strikes at the beginning of the second frame but Bachar was still landing the more significant blows. Hadbi started to utilise the step-in elbow and continued to do so into the final round. He was unable to secure a takedown up until the closing stages of the fight when he finally wrestled Bachar to the mat. When getting back to his feet, Bachar ate a number of punches but the bout had been decided before that moment. Bachar took the bout on all three judges’ scorecards to extend his winning streak to five and will have hoped to have shown enough to get signed to BRAVE CF longer term.
Middleweights Andreas Gustafsson Berg and Miro Jurkovic put on a tough and gritty display in the co-headliner of the night. Berg came out aggressively and charged forward towards Jurkovic but it was the Serbian who landed a takedown. He found himself in side control but Berg powered out from the bottom and proceeded to find a home for his right hand. Berg secured a takedown of his own shortly after and saw out the rest of the round to establish an early lead.
Jurkovic tried to score another takedown but Berg countered with a guillotine choke attempt. Both men exchanged on the feet for the following minutes and although they didn’t show the cleanest technique, their durability shone through. The finish came late into the final round when Berg landed a left hook after delivering a number of heavy shots to Jurkovic. Referee, Kevin Sataki, had seen enough and stopped the bout while Jurkovic was stumbling across the cage, rescuing him from any further damage.
In another notable bout, Sweden’s own Tobias Harila delivered arguably the performance of the night when he overwhelmed the more experienced, Rafael Macedo, in the lightweight division. Harila looked susceptible to the takedown throughout the fight but stayed calm when he found himself on the bottom and worked his way back to the feet. Macedo tired as the seconds ticked by and Harila stalked him around the cage with bad intentions. He used his efficient striking to chip away at Macedo, who appeared to be losing confidence as each shot landed.
The Brazilian ran from Harila on a number of occasions but it was only a matter of time before Harila’s powerful strikes found a home. Some elbows in the clinch appeared to open up a large cut on the head of Macedo and his corner stopped the fight on the stool before the third round could begin. It was a big step up in competition for Harila but he passed the test with flying colours. He needs to work on his takedown defense but BRAVE CF could have another European star on their hands.
Elsewhere on the card, Felipe Lima bested Farbod Irannejad over fifteen minutes in an exciting, fast-paced matchup at a catchweight of 141lbs. Lima, who is a Brazilian training in Sweden, held off the takedown attempts from his opponent as the fight wore on and landed some damaging strikes. At only 22-years-old, Lima has a lot of room for growth and his raw potential is there for all to see.
In the opening bout of the evening, Sweden’s Sahil Siraj used his slick standup skills to defeat Gregorio Davide La Torre by unanimous decision at lightweight. Siraj’s grappling was tested during the bout but he displayed some good takedown defense and showed urgency to get back to his feet. La Torre provided the perfect step up in competition for Siraj at this point in his career, who maintained his unbeaten record.
Complete BRAVE CF 39 results:
Giannis Basar defeated Tahar Hadbi by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28).
Andreas Gustafsson Berg defeated Miro Jurkovic by TKO (punches) at 4:10 of round three.
Tobias Harila defeated Rafael Macedo by TKO (corner stoppage) at 5:00 of round two.
Felipe Lima defeated Farbod Irannejad by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28).
Sahil Siraj defeated Davide La Torre by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28).
