Abbas, Najam, Haider victorious in MMA event

LAHORE: Abbas Khan, Najam Khan and Haider Farman claimed victories in their respective fights at the historical Brave 17 event at Lahore, Nishtar Park on Saturday night.

Pakistan’s first and the biggest Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)event, Brave 17 took place in Lahore, where local and international fighters showcased the amalgamation of their technique and power.

The mega MMA event kicked off with undercard fights. The first bout was between Abbas Khan and Sikander Badar in Amateur Welterweight category. Khan took just 14 seconds of the first round to defeat his opponent via TKO. The small bout proved to be a promising start for Brave 17.

In the second encounter of the event, Pakistan’s Najam Khan faced off against Afghanistan’s Mohammad Waseem in the Welterweight category. The emotions were high and both the fighters wanted to show the world what they are capable of, Khan exhibited some inspiring martial arts skills and won the game by submission as he got ninja choke on Waseem, which gave him the win.

Haider ‘the giant’ Farman took on Ariel Oliveros in Strawweight category, the local fighter looked to be in control at the end of first round. But, his opponent made a comeback in the next round with the takedown, though he managed to survive. In the third round, Farman put ninja choke on his opponent fighter, forcing him to tap out.

‘The Butcher’ Ahmed Amir and John Brewin entered the octagon for the next fight in Lightweight category. Amir tried to lock in submission moves, but Brewin was agile enough to get out of from it. In the end, the latter claimed the win via technical knock out.

Yibugele and Zia Mashwani entertained the crowd with some impressive skills in a featherweight category fight, it was arguably the most entertaining fight of undercard category. Yibugele was the better striker in the match, while his opponent was skilful on the floor. Both the pugilists were at their A game. As the fight was nearing the end, Yibugele managed to land a powerful blow that knocked Mashwani out.

The first fight of the main card was between Aidan James and Frans Mlambo in Bantamweight category. Mlambo was the favourite to win the bout, but MMA is an unpredictable sport. James was impressive throughout the match and eventually clinched the victory by submission.