Luan “Miau” Santiago, 24, of Brazil, Abdoul “The Conqueror” Abdouraguimov, 23, of France and Eldar “Khan” Eldarov, 27, of Bahrain had a weekend to remember as they became new Brave Combat Federation world champions after a historic “Brave 23: Pride and Honor” fight card on April 19, 2019 in Amman, Jordan. They all received warm homecoming welcome after their victories over Abdul-Kareem “Pride of Palestine” Al-Selwady, 23, of Jordan, Jarrah “The Jordanian Lion” Al-Selawe, 26, of Jordan and Mounir “The Sniper” Lazzez, 31, of Tunisia, respectively.
Eldarov had a truly royal homecoming in Bahrain where he returned with the Brave CF Super Lightweight title, the first-ever world championship from the newly minted weight class. It was a feat that put his name and Bahrain’s in the history books of the sport.
Along with other KHK MMA fighters involved at “Brave 23: Pride and Honor,” Eldarov was received by none other than His Highness Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa. The Bahraini prince congratulated the Bahrain-based Russian fighter for being the first fighter to win an MMA world title for Bahrain.
With the Knockout of the Year over Al-Selwady, Santiago became the new Brave CF Lightweight Champion, a title the Brazilian fighter claimed was destined for him since he first signed with the Bahrain-based MMA promotion more than two years ago. Santiago was received with applause and reverence in his gym CM System in Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.
Santiago was asked to give a speech to the up-and-coming fighters in the team by his mentor, MMA legend and fellow Brave fighter Cristiano Marcello. In the talk, the new Brave CF Lightweight Champion shared his mindset for fights, explained how he was able to focus only on his opponent despite having the crowd against him and wished continued success to the entire team.
Abdouraguimov was also well-received at his gym in De La Riva, Nantes, France. He was congratulated by his jiu-jitsu coach Beto Ramos, students and fellow fighters on the biggest victory of his young career as he went straight back to training even though he went through a grueling 25-minute fight against former champ Al-Selawe.
Meanwhile, watch the post-fight cage interview of Eldarov with Kirik Jenness at “Brave 23: Pride and Honor” here:
CONAN Daily 