Kyrgyzstan’s Abdisalam Kubanychbek upgraded his interim title to the full, undisputed, version after defeating Dagestan’s Kamil Magomedov in the main event of Brave CF 69.
The lightweight title bout between Kubanychbek and Magomedov topped off a spectacular week of mixed martial arts in Belgrade, with Brave CF 69 following hot on the heels of the 2022 IMMAF World Championships.
The event itself served up action aplenty, with four of the six bouts at the Stark Arena finishing inside the distance.
One bout that went all the way was the main event between Kubanychbek and Magomedov, as the pair battled all the way to the scorecards after five back-and-forth rounds.
Magomedov appeared to hold the advantage early on, as he forced Kubanychbek to defend stoutly on the mat as the Dagestani pushed hard for a submission finish. In the second round, it looked like Magomedov had Kubanychbek trapped in a rear-naked choke, but the interim champ managed to survive before eventually turning the fight in his favor to earn scores of 49-46, 49-46, 48-47 from the cageside judges.
Speaking about that crucial moment during his post-fight interview, Kubanychbek said, “(The choke) was really close, but I am a tough fighter, and I will always survive because I will never give up.
“Thank you to the Almighty for this victory. I am grateful for this. I am the real champion now. I will be here for a long time. I am ready for anyone.”
The co-main event saw a big TKO win for Bahrain heavyweight Shamil Gaziev, who got up off the canvas to finish the experienced Darko Stosic via first-round TKO.
Gaziev was dropped for the first time in his career as Stosic found his mark early with a big left hook. But Gaziev recovered well and returned the favor by dropping Stosic with an upper cut, before finishing him with heavy ground strikes.
Brave CF 69: Official results
- Abdisalam Kubanychbek def. Kamil Magomedov via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 48-47) – for lightweight title
- Shamil Gaziev def. Darko Stosic via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:45
- Aleksandar Ilic def. Marcin Naruszczka via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Patrik Celic def. Aleksandar Terzic via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:57
- Issa Isakov def. Ruslan Tedeev via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 3:55
- Mahmoud Sebie def. Muhammed Kir Ahmet via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:38