Four Arab MMA fighters made the world take notice at at Brave 2: Dynasty with huge victories over tough opposition.
Jarrah Al Silawi, Hamza Kooheji and Ottman Azaitar all gained career-defining victories and continued their charge up the ranks, although the most impressive winner was surely the Algerian Elias Boudegzdame.
He stalked, battered and submitted the world class veteran Walel Watson in the first round, making him look amateurish and inferior.
The truth is that the Arab star just had too much for Watson to handle on this night, and put in an inspired performance – by far the best of his career.
Elias continually backed up Watson, walked him down confidently and landed some big right hands which surprised the lanky American. The smiling Algerian then landed a beautiful takedown and immediately held onto the arm of the hapless American, who could do nothing to stop Boudegzdame steal the show with a fine piece of Jiu Jitsu magic.
It was all the more impressive since Watson is well known for his brilliance on the mat and he was still unable to stop the clinical Kimura attack of Boudegzdame.
This same Kimura lock was used by the second most impressive Arab winner, Jarrah Al Silawi, who defeated Erik Carlsson via submission in the second round following a competitive opening stanza.
Carlsson showed his quality and was able to take down Jarrah, yet unable to damage the Jordanian Lion, who was relaxed and confident throughout until he finally capitalized on a mistake by Carlsson. The “Last Viking” from Sweden may have been hurt by the vicious body kicks of Al Silawi as he went for a takedown and his sloppy attempt landed him in a Kimura lock, Al Silawi’s favorite technique. It was a nasty submission which may have damaged the arm of the Swede, hopefully not.
The final two Arab winners were equally as impressive in terms of their will to win, as Azaitar and Kooheji both won a unanimous decision against their respective opponents. Azaitair looked unstoppable in there as he continually pressed forward and threw punches, outmuscling, out-working and proving too much for Koldobsky who had taken the fight on short notice. He left “El General” in a bloody mess and continued his undefeated streak in Mixed Martial Arts.
The golden boy from Bahrain, introduced as the “Pride of Bahrain”, Kooheji, showed why he’s such a prospect in defeating the previously undefeated and highly talented Jeremy Pacatiw, handing the Filipino his first loss. Kooheji simply refused to lose the fight and was buoyed by his fans, who chanted his name as he overcame some scary moments and submission attempts, winning thanks to his superior wrestling, as he landed the crucial takedowns when it mattered and controlled from the top enough to secure the win.
All four Arab fighters are genuine prospects and will move on to bigger fights, with Boudegzdame and Al Silawi expected to land big some big name opposition in their next fight following their incredible finishes.
