Bruno Malfacine, 32, of Duque de Caxias, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil will face Cristian Rodriguez Jr., 26, of Virginia, United States at “Brave 16” at the Mubadala Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates on September 21, 2018. They will compete in the flyweight division.
Malfacine is a 10-time International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) champion. While he admits the focus is still on getting the fights to the ground, he is also looking to get better at his stand-up and warns his division that he can win via knockout instead of submission.
“I come from Jiu-Jitsu and I’m very comfortable on the ground, of course,” Malfacine stated. “But I have been training very hard on my stand-up skills. I have been working hard on my striking and can sense a knock out win coming soon.”
“It is all about improvements and I am focusing on that,” the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu legend added. “I want to make sure that I am 1 percent better after each training session and that includes my striking, of course.”
The Rio de Janeiro native has turned his attention towards professional mixed martial arts after his landmark 10th world title win at IBJJF world championships. He will have his third professional MMA fight of his career in Brave Combat Federation at “Brave 16.”
Moreover, Malfacine vows to honor Abu Dhabi with his best performance inside the cage. He was overwhelmed after getting messages from local jiu-jitsu fighters, friends and former teammates who form one of the strongest jiu-jitsu communities outside of Brazil, the home of the sport.
As a professional MMA fighter, Malfacine holds a record of 2 wins and 0 loss. On the other hand, Rodriguez has 2 wins and 1 loss.
Rodriguez will make his Brave CF debut at “Brave 16.” Here is a promo of the upcoming event:
CONAN Daily 