Marc Goddard, Ikram Aliskerov (©BRAVE Combat Federation)

Ikram Aliskerov, 27, of Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russia will have the chance to once again be on top of the list of BRAVE Combat Federation’s middleweight contenders when he takes on Diego “The Silencer” Gonzalez, 35, of Stockholm, Sweden at “BRAVE CF 33.” The Dagestani mixed martial artist used to be the top athlete in the division.

However, Aliskerov decided to move to welterweight right before Daniel “Gaúcho” Souza Pereira, 28, of Curitiba, Parana, Brazil was crowned as the inaugural BRAVE CF Middleweight World Champion. The Brazilian champ won the belt by knocking out of Chad “Superman” Hanekom, 27, of Sunninghill, South Africa at “BRAVE CF 31” at the Sibaya Casino in Durban, South Africa.

While Gaucho is waiting for his first title defense, Aliskerov is looking to bounce back straight into contender status. The Russian powerhouse is still the owner of the most number of wins at BRAVE CF’S middleweight division with five straight victories and feels it is his right to have a title shot upon his return to the division.

As Aliskerov goes for is sixth win six at middleweight, the focus remains on Gonzalez, a crafty veteran of the sport with three times more pro bouts than his Dagestani opponent. The two will headline “BRAVE CF 33” at the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on December 27, 2019.

However, Aliskerov has shown his well-rounded game for BRAVE CF before as he has knockout and technical knockout wins. He also has a submission victory, which took place in his promotional debut at “BRAVE CF 6” at the Almaty Arena in Almaty, Kazakhstan on April 29, 2017.

Since then, Aliskerov has developed a fearsome reputation among middleweights, which he hopes carries on as he returns to the division he once claimed as his own. An uncrowned king before, he will settle for nothing less than a title shot after “BRAVE CF 33,” which is BRAVE CF’s second event to take place in Saudi Arabia.