Leonardo Mafra (©Brave Combat Federation)

Leonardo “Macarrão” Mafra, 30, of Brazil will make his debut in the super lightweight division on August 30, 2019 when he faces Djamil “Dynamite” Chan, 29, of the Netherlands. The Brazilian mixed martial artist used to compete in the welterweight division.

Mafra and Chan will battle it out at “Brave 25” in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. It is the first time in the Brazilian striker’s storied career that he is fighting at a natural weight class since super lightweight was only recently opened, an initiative that has set Brave Combat Federation apart from other global promotions.

For Mafra, the introduction of the new weight class was the biggest initiative in the entire sport in 2019. He claimed the distance between lightweight and welterweight, which is 15 lbs or 6.8 kg, was too big and a lot of fighters will benefit from the new division.

“I honestly feel like creating the super lightweight division has been the best initiative ever,” Mafra stated. “It has been the best thing that happened in MMA all year. The distance between weight classes was too big and Brave CF has stepped up to the plate and created that weight class.”

“It has been a huge success and the recognition is worldwide,” Mafra continued. “Everyone is talking about it and praising Brave.”

“Brave 25” marks the second Brave CF bout of Mafra. When he made his promotional debut at “Brave 12: KHK Legacy” in Jakarta, Indonesia on May 11, 2018, he was knocked out by Gadzhimusa “Deadshot” Gaziev, 27, of Dagestan, Russia.

Born in Santo Andre, Sao Paulo, Brazil on April 25, 1989, Mafra has been competing professionally since 2011. He competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship from 2012 to 2015.

Currently, Mafra holds a professional MMA record of 14 wins and 4 losses. On the other hand, Chan has 15 wins and 5 losses.

Before joining Brave CF, Mafra competed in Final Fight Championship, Pancrase and Imortal Fight Championship, among others. Meanwhile, here is a “Brave 25” promotional video: