Shaikh Khaled bin Hamad Al Khalifa honored with European MMA Sports Impact Award

21 February 2023

The largest combat sports festival in European history, the BRAVE Serbia International Fight Week, elevated combat sports in Europe by bringing together the biggest amateur MMA event of all time and the fastest-growing professional organisation in the world.

This was made possible by His Highness Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, whose vision changed combat sports on European territory by bringing the BRAVE International Fight Week to Europe for the first time and elevating Serbia to the status of the continent's combat sports capital.

His Majesty During the BRAVE Serbia International Combat Week, Shaikh Khalid received a remarkable honour from Arena Sport, the top sports content provider in Europe and the leading sports media company in the Balkans, for all of his efforts to elevate the MMA scene in Europe and elsewhere since the founding of BRAVE Combat Federation under his leadership in September 2016.

The Serbian government has praised Serbia for its leadership in the growth of mixed martial arts in Europe through the BRAVE Serbia International Fight Week, which is organised under his direction.

As a first-of-its-kind government endorsement for mixed martial arts in Europe, Mr. Zoran Gajic, Minister of Sports, has formally recognised MMA as a sport.

This was the most recent in a line of improvements made by BRAVE Combat Federation, under the leadership of His Highness, to advance the sport in Europe. These improvements were also essential to him obtaining the distinction from Arena TV.

No other organisation in the world has achieved the accomplishment that BRAVE CF has in the same time period of hosting 18 events in 11 different nations. However, only one truly international organisation, BRAVE CF, has ever hosted seven events throughout Europe in a single year.

His Highness Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa has made a significant impact on the combat sports world through his numerous efforts, empowering governance and opening doors for thousands of players, coaches, officials, and administrators.

As Germany became the 28th country to hold a BRAVE CF event last year, a milestone that has not been accomplished by any other organisation in the same period of time, His Highness has shattered many barriers and propelled BRAVE Combat Federation to the top of the most international MMA promotions.