- George Chung
- Sep 15, 2024
- 2 min read
The MMA world has seen many fighters transition from wrestling, but few are as exciting as undefeated Bahraini star Rasul Magomedov, who will make his return at BRAVE CF 87 in the Netherlands on September 22.
Regarded as one of the best wrestlers to enter MMA, Magomedov is a generational talent who made his name in the under 97kg wrestling category before switching to MMA.
He is one of the few wrestlers to have defeated Kyle Snyder, a two-time Olympic medallist, and multiple-time World Championship medallist. While athletes like Snyder, Akhmed Tazhudinov, and Abdulrashid Sadulaev chose to stay in wrestling, Magomedov took a different path, transitioning into MMA, where he is quickly becoming a superstar. And his transition to MMA came in the same year he added a Combat Sambo world title to his list of accolades.
His first taste of success in MMA came in the amateur circuit, where he remained undefeated. Magomedov won every major medal, becoming the World, European, and Asian champion in IMMAF, and led Team Bahrain to win the MMA Super Cup Gold medal. He finished his amateur career as the top-ranked Heavyweight and moved into the professional ranks with BRAVE Combat Federation, benefiting from the IMMAF-BRAVE CF amateur pathway.
As previously stated, Rasul is a Combat Sambo World Champion and has been unstoppable in professional MMA as well, finishing all four of his opponents in the first round, underlining his dominance.
Now, he is preparing to continue his rise towards a potential World title fight in BRAVE CF as he returns to action in the Netherlands. This fight is important for Magomedov, as BRAVE CF is also set to crown new champions in both the Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight divisions at BRAVE CF 88 in Slovenia the following week.
Fans in the Netherlands, known for their love for kickboxing, will witness world class grappling as Magomedov faces BJJ black belt Pablo Benaion, who has over two decades of experience in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. This fight also adds another chapter to the long-standing rivalry between wrestling and BJJ.
BRAVE CF 87 will take place on September 22 in Alkmaar, Netherlands, in association with ECE MMA. It is BRAVE CF’s second event in the Netherlands, following the success of BRAVE CF 83. The event will be headlined by a Lightweight title fight between Abdisalam Kubanychbek and Raul Tutarauli.
