BRAVE CF 74: Things heat up between Lucas Martins and Abdisalam Kubanychbek

31 August 2023

BRAVE Combat Federation’s Lightweight champion Abdisalam “Omok” Kubanychbek doesn't often engage in verbose exchanges. It takes something truly special to elicit a response from the reserved Kyrgyz fighter, who reserves his dialogue for the BRAVE CF arena. Interestingly, former 155-pound champion Lucas “Mineiro” Martins seems to be the exception that proves the rule, as the Brazilian recently managed to catch Kubanychbek’s attention on social media.

In the lead-up to his appearance at BRAVE CF 74, Martins openly expressed his aspiration to cross paths with the reigning BRAVE CF king later in the year. Kubanychbek’s reply to Martins' overture was succinct yet revealing: “I am ready when you are, bro.” Martins, set to face France’s Ylies Djiroun in the main event of BRAVE CF 74 on September 7th, returns to the BRAVE CF stage next month for the first time since July of the previous year, when he secured a first-round knockout against his compatriot Henrique Marques at BRAVE CF 60 in Isa Town, Bahrain.

For Martins, the road back to the summit has been arduous, marked by numerous fight cancellations over the past three years. Now that he has regained considerable momentum, the former Lightweight champion is hungering to reclaim his throne and has been quite forthright about his desire for a shot at Kubanychbek should he overcome Djiroun in the forthcoming bout. “I know there is a champion waiting, so if I win this fight, I want to fight for the title again soon,” revealed Martins. “After this fight, I will return to Brazil, resume my training, and prepare for the champion. Kubanychbek is a formidable fighter, but he has yet to be tested in the same way I have been before, nor has he encountered someone of my caliber,” added Martins.

Kubanychbek's trajectory places him on the trajectory to become one of the foremost Lightweights in the global MMA arena. Boasting a 12-fight winning streak that dates back to 2018, he is Kyrgyzstan's inaugural BRAVE CF champion, amassing 20 victories out of 23 professional fights, with only three decision losses to his name. Despite “Omok’s” dominion on the international stage, Martins, a seasoned combatant with 21 wins in 27 bouts, remains steadfast in his assertion that he presents the “biggest challenge of Kubanychbek’s career.”

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“I eagerly await our encounter,” added Kubanychbek, who most recently defended his title against Russia’s Kamil Magomedov at BRAVE CF 69 earlier this year.