Cape Town — Brave Combat Federation’s super lightweight champion, Eldar Eldarov threw some early jabs at opposing teams ahead of the MMA Super Cup next month.
A first of its kind, the Mixed Martial Arts Super Cup — which will see eight amateur teams compete against each other in a single-elimination tournament for the ultimate prize of
R1 551 990 — will take place at the Brave International Combat Week in Bahrain next month.
Last week the quarter-final draw saw Russia facing Ireland, while the Kingdom of Bahrain — coached by Eldarov — set to take on Tajikistan.
Following the news of the draw, Russian-born Eldarov (13-2) took to Instagram warning Team Ireland of the tough task ahead, while also using the opportunity to mock Russia on their “easy draw”.
"Russia got an easy draw for MMA Super Cup, but the harder the way, the better the feeling will be when we get this cup," responded the Bahrain-based Eldar in response to Russian Mixed Martial Arts Union head coach, Gennady Pavlovich Kapshay who said that his team was “lucky” to get Ireland instead of Bahrain, Kazakhstan or Tajikistan.
“I can't hide the fact that we were lucky with our rivals in the qualifying stage, in the other subgroup three strong national teams of Bahrain, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan will meet at once,” says Kapshay.
The remaining quarter-finals draw sees Ukraine facing the Arab Champs, while Kazakhstan face the Balkan Champions.
Eldarov was vocal about his team’s intentions, stating that the Kingdom of Bahrain — who excelled at the last World Championships, winning first place overall in the senior divisions — will go all out in search of the win.
The participating teams — all selected through the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation senior global rankings system included Russia, Ukraine, Bahrain, Kazakhstan, Ireland, and Tajikistan, while two wildcard teams, namely the Balkan Champions and the Arab Champions were also entered into the knockout bracket.
The structure of the competition — promoted in association with KHK Sports, Brave Combat Federation, the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF), and the Bahrain Mixed Martial Arts Federation (BMMAF) — will allow for 9 fighters per team (seven males and two females), one per weight class. Three substitute athletes (two males and one female) will also be allowed per team.
Each stage will consist of nine bouts between two teams with each fight consisting of three 180-second rounds.
Extra rounds may be added on should a fight end in a draw as no ties will be allowed. The team with more wins after all fights will be declared the winner.
The four semi-finalists will then compete in the knockout stage and for a spot in the final which will see the winning team earn bragging rights and the cash prize.
The runner-ups will take home R1 164 351, while third place winners grab a handsome R766 234.
The prize money will be directed to the investment of the respective national federations.
The MMA Super Cup takes place between March 8-12 at Khalifa Sports City in the Kingdom of Bahrain forming part of the biggest combat sports festival in Asia.
The event will take place the same weekend as Brave’s inaugural 2022 event, BRAVE CF 57.
For more details, stay tuned to the BraveCF social media pages.
March 8 - BICW opening ceremony
March 9 - MMA Super Cup quarter finals
March 10 - MMA Super Cup semi finals
March 11 - BRAVE CF 57
March 12 - MMA Super Cup finals
MALE DIVISIONS
Bantamweight (over 125 to 135 pounds)
Featherweight (over 135 to 145 pounds)
Lightweight (over 145 to 155 pounds)
Welterweight (over 155 to 170 pounds)
Middleweight (over 170 to 185 pounds)
Light Heavyweight (over 185 to 205 pounds)
Heavyweight (over 205 to 265 pounds)
FEMALE DIVISIONS
Flyweight (over 115 to 125 pounds)
Bantamweight (over 125 to 135 pounds)
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