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| (Image Source: BRAVE Combat Federation) |
Throughout the last years, BRAVE Combat Federation (BRAVE CF) has positioned itself as the most global mixed martial arts (MMA) organization in the world. But its impact over the world has also been heard in the Kingdom of Bahrain where the vision of His Highness Shaikh Khaled bin Hamad Al Khalifa has positioned the Kingdom on top of the MMA world. But it has also meant that a Bahraini brand was on top of a sport, an incredible feat for the island. BRAVE CF, the sporting crown jewel of Bahrain, is the biggest sports brand founded in the Gulf region, the largest exported brand of Bahrain, the biggest global exposure brand for the Kingdom. It is also the largest media property in the country, the strongest vehicle for bilateral relationships and has set records as Bahrain’s most viewed sporting brand on digital media.
The records keep piling up and the work of His Highness Shaikh Khaled bin Hamad Al Khalifa continues to change lives in and out of Bahrain with BRAVE CF now in prime position to continue to take the country’s flag to all corners of the world and to the highest position in combat sports. The recent collaboration forged with the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) makes BRAVE CF the only Bahraini organization to have a working partnership with the international federation of a sport. Aside from that, Bahrain has also been recognized on continental and international levels through MMA. The president of the Bahrain MMA Federation, Mohammed Qamber, also serves as the first Asian MMA Federation president, one of two Bahraini representatives in charge of a continental federation in a sport.
Not only that, but the Bahrain MMA Federation operations team has excelled in providing the highest level of organization to international events in the Kingdom as has been called upon to work in two other continents, providing their world-class expertise in Europe (Serbia) and South America (Colombia). MMA continues to be a source of pride for the Kingdom on a results level, as well. Team Bahrain became the number one-ranked team in amateur MMA, a feat that has never been achieved before by any other Bahraini national team. Bahraini athletes are ranked at the top of male and female divisions and Team Bahrain has won more than 100 medals at IMMAF level including several world championships in both male and female divisions.
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How BRAVE CF Becomes The Largest Sports Media Property In The Middle East
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| (Image Source: BRAVE Combat Federation) |
From its inception in 2016, BRAVE Combat Federation always made a point to diversify its business, never settling for the MMA promotion tag, instead using its ever-growing content base to enter the world of sports media. Seven years later, the organization founded under the vision of His Highness Shaikh Khaled bin Hamad Al Khalifa becomes the Middle Eastern leader in sports media properties, thanks to forward-thinking strategies, the use of new technologies, as well as big broadcasting deals that have increased its reach to that of a global juggernaut.
BRAVE CF’s media diversification strategy has allowed the promotion to use its extensive library of content as leverage in brokering new and important deals for the use of new technologies such as AI (Artificial Intelligence) technology that has helped improve content delivery time, thus repositioning the organization in terms of internet sporting content providers to its partners. BRAVE CF has also been noted as the first combat sports organization in the Middle East to enter the Metaverse, creating its own NFT and its own OTT platform BRAVE CF TV, the first of its kind in the Middle East, and with the largest reach in the entire region.
Today, BRAVE CF is broadcasting to more than 160 countries through various broadcasting networks and OTT platforms, and through its digital media assets. While already possessing a global reach, BRAVE CF has added nearly a potential audience of one billion MMA fans and combat sports enthusiasts across the globe to become a true sports media giant. In 2023 alone, BRAVE CF has signed with VIDIO, Indonesia’s most popular streaming platform in Indonesia ahead of Netflix; MX Player, India’s number one OTT platform; Airtel TV, one of Africa’s telecom giants; and has created the first-ever MMA FAST channel in India through its groundbreaking partnership with Jio TV. It’s these types of deals that have firmly established His Highness Shaikh Khaled’s BRAVE CF as the premier sports media property in the Middle East.
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BRAVE CF Returns To Bahrain With Largest Edition Of BRAVE International Combat Week To Close Record-Breaking 2023
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| (Image Source: BRAVE Combat Federation) |
BRAVE Combat Federation is set to return to its home in the Kingdom of Bahrain on December 15th for a mega event that will close out the latest edition of the BRAVE International Combat Week, the biggest combat sports festival in the world. The week-long festivities to take place at the Khalifa Sports City Arena will be headlined by the biggest BRAVE Combat Federation card of the year and will also feature the return of IMMAF competition to Bahrain after the tremendous successes of previous World Championships and the MMA Super Cup.
The 2023 IMMAF Asian Championships will take place on December 10-16, 2023 in association with BRAVE CF and the Asian MMA Federation as part of the BICW. The IMMAF competition will include brackets for Senior (18+), Junior (U21) and Youth (U18) athletes. Having taken place for the first time Europe and South America this year, the BRAVE International Combat Week returns to Bahrain to put an exclamation point to a record-breaking year for the organization. In 2023, BRAVE CF was hosted by its 29th nation, breaking a world record and becoming the MMA organization hosted in the greatest number of countries.
BRAVE CF kicked off 2023 with its second trip to Serbia for the first-ever BICW edition outside of the Middle East. Alongside the 2022 IMMAF World Championships, the Serbia BRAVE International Combat Week broke all records, firmly placing itself as the largest combat sports festival in the world. In August, the first South American edition of the BRAVE International Combat Week took place in Bogota, Colombia alongside the IMMAF Pan American Championships, a groundbreaking moment for mixed martial arts in the Americas. Now the BICW returns to Bahrain for its first home edition since 2022 when BRAVE CF organized the historic MMA Super Cup alongside the IMMAF while headlining the proceedings with BRAVE CF 57.
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BRAVE CF Bares Program Expansion Aiming To Bring In And Develop More Indian-Based MMA Fighters In 2024
.jpg "BRAVE CF Development Program Graduate Mahboob Khan") |
| Hyderabad native Mahboob Khan was the first Indian prospect to undergo BRAVE Combat Federation's development program and becomes the first-ever Indian fighter to win a gold medal in the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) World Championships. (Image Source: BRAVE Combat Federation) |
The BRAVE CF Development Program supports numerous athletes globally through training support with the KHK MMA team in the Kingdom of Bahrain, medical assistance, competition support, media and sports consultation, and a guaranteed contract with BRAVE CF. In 2023, Mahboob Khan earned this spot by becoming the biggest Indian MMA prospect under the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF). Born in Hyderabad, Mahboob went from being a cab driver supporting his family to being the first-ever Indian fighter to win a gold medal at the IMMAF World Championship and winning seven national titles in MMA.
Three months into the BRAVE CF Development Program, Mahboob Khan significantly improved his skillset training alongside the KHK MMA Fight Team which has numerous top athletes from every major MMA promotion including BRAVE CF, UFC, PFL, and Bellator. The success of the pilot candidate for the BRAVE CF Development Program has increased the levels of confidence of the leadership at BRAVE CF to expand the tailor-made India Programme For More MMA Fighters in 2024. "Securing the commitment and support from BRAVE Combat Federation to initiate the developmental program for Indian athletes is a remarkable initiative and opens numerous possibilities for Indian athletes to represent the nation at a global level. We are confident that the opportunity will create a positive impact among the athletes and would like to thank His Highness Shaikh Khalid Bin Hamad Al Khalifa for the support and Mohammed Shahid, President of BRAVE Combat Federation," said MMA INDIA President and Asian MMA Federation Director of South Asia Sharif Mohammed Bapu.
Having hosted 3 major shows in India in 2017, 2018, and 2019 combined with the strategic partnerships with MX Player and JIOTv, India remains a focus area for the fastest-growing global promotions that has hosted events in 29 nations worldwide. BRAVE CF President Mohammed Shahid had expressed his plans, stating, "India is a huge market for Combat Sports. We love India and the passion of the athletes and fans for the sport. We have definitive plans in the pipeline to not just host events but also to nurture the thriving ecosystem for MMA in India. We love hosting events there and more than anything we look forward to giving Indian athletes the exposure to represent the nation worldwide. We have one of the largest fan followings for the brand from India so we also have exciting initiatives for our fans out there in the region to be unveiled in the coming days and want to give our fans more reasons to engage with the brand."
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Spain Becomes 30th Nation To Host BRAVE CF With BRAVE CF 75 On November 18, 2023
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| (Image Source: Tapology/BRAVE Combat Federation) |
BRAVE Combat Federation is set to break new ground as the most global organization in the world prepares to host an event in Spain for the first time. BRAVE CF 75 takes place on November 18, 2023 in Tenerife and is hosted in association with Fight2One with Spain as the 30th country to host a BRAVE CF show. This year, BRAVE CF cemented its position as the most global MMA organization in the history of the sport when it reached the 29th country hosted, a world record for any mixed martial arts organization, which will now be extended to 30 with BRAVE CF 75. Now, before 2023 comes to an end, the fastest-growing promotion in the industry will extend its reach in Europe by hosting its first-ever show in Spain, the home of former BRAVE CF stars such as Ilia Topuria and Arkaitz Ramos.
Europe has always been a focal point of interest for BRAVE CF since the organization first did an event in the continent back in June 2018 with BRAVE CF 13 taking place in Northern Ireland. Since then, BRAVE CF has repeatedly showcased its commitment with the development of MMA in the continent, including being the only MMA organization putting on shows in European soil at the height of the global COVID-19 pandemic while also expanding into several new territories. With BRAVE CF 75, Spain becomes the 13th European country that BRAVE CF has visited, meaning Europe has now overtaken Asia as their most common continental destination for the company. Spain joins Northern Ireland, England, Romania, Slovenia, Sweden, Russia, Belarus, Italy, Poland, Serbia, Germany, and France as BRAVE CF's European homes.
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BRAVE CF Announces Much-Anticipated Return To Brazil With BRAVE CF 78 In Fortaleza
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| (Image Source: Tapology/BRAVE Combat Federation) |
BRAVE Combat Federation is back to its second home after four years away. The most global organization in mixed martial arts is set to return to Brazil for BRAVE CF 78 which will take place on December 7, 2023 in Fortaleza. The show will be hosted in association with leading local promotion Victorious Fighting Entertainment and is expected to reignite BRAVE CF’s special relationship with Brazilian MMA.
Back in March 2017, Brazil became BRAVE CF’s first international destination as Curitiba hosted BRAVE CF 3 which marked the promotional debuts of former champions and BRAVE CF legends Lucas ‘’Mineiro’’ and Luan Santiago. A few months later, the organization returned to the Parana capital for BRAVE CF 8 which crowned Light Heavyweight Klidson de Abreu as the first Brazilian world champion in BRAVE CF. Klidson was eventually joined by Lucas and Luan as well as Cleiton Silva and Daniel ''Gaucho'' as BRAVE CF world champions hailing from Brazil. The two Curitiba events were followed by another two shows in Belo Horizonte with title fights in the Lightweight division headlining both shows as well as the introduction of future stars Luana Pinheiro and Flavio de Queiroz and established big names such as Bruno Malfacine, Matheus Nicolau, Gesias Cavalcante, and Leonardo Mafra.
In parallel to that, BRAVE CF has continued to foster Brazilian MMA by providing local fighters with the international platform to showcase their skills. In total, 90 fighters from Brazil have fought all over the globe under the BRAVE CF banner at least once, a number that is expected to increase with BRAVE CF 78.
To keep up to date on the latest updates and upcoming events of BRAVE Combat Federation, visit its official website at www.bravecf.com and @bravemmaf on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.
