Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady comes in for his Brave 9: The Kingdom of Champions bout against Erick “Índio Brabo” knowing that a dominant wincomes in for his Brave 9: The Kingdom of Champions bout against Erick “Índio Brabo” knowing that a dominant win could very well land him a title shot in his next fight. And “The Pride of Palestine” has been preparing for his third outing with Brave Combat Federation with extra focus on his cardio, as he revealed during an Instagram Live on Brave’s official profile.
Speaking with Brave fans, Al-Selwady claimed that his fight with “Índio Brabo” was certainly one of the toughest challenges of his career, acknowledged the difference in experience between him and his Brazilian counterpart, but promised to make Erick quit mentally during their main card fight.
“Definitely this is one of the toughest challenges. However, it doesn’t mean it’s impossible. He has a lot of finishes standing up and on the ground. This guy has a lot of experience in the cage, which is something I look forward to facing November 17th. This could be the fight of the year. He can take a lot of punishment and I can dish out a lot of punishment, he’s like a pitbull, he just keeps moving forward, which is great. Some fighters break when they see someone moving forward, but not me. I’m the one who’s going to break him mentally”, said Al-Selwady.
The Lightweight phenom, who has previously fought at Featherweight, also revealed his biggest idols in the sport and said he had a special place in his heart for another Brazilian, in former champion José Aldo. Al-Selwady claims “Scarface”, along with Canada’s Georges St. Pierre, are his two favorite fighters.
“My two biggest inspirations in the sport are GSP and Aldo. St. Pierre is one of the greatest fighters of all time, he’s a very special individual. I used to love watching Aldo fight, and when I was a Featherweight, wanted to be like him. I love his Dutch style kickboxing, and the way his low kicks work. He would make guys limp during fights, which is crazy. He’s definitely one of my favorite fighters ever”, he admitted.
Brave 9: The Kingdom of Champions marks the promotion’s return to Bahrain after a year. During 2017, the organization has put on groundbreaking events in countries such as Brazil (twice), Mexico, the United Arab Emirates, India, and Kazakhstan. Brave 9 will be the culmination of the International Combat Week, alongside the IMMAF World Championships, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa.
Brave 9: The Kingdom of Champions Fight Card:
Main card:
Lightweight: Ottman Azaitar vs Alejandro Martínez (for the inaugural title)
Featherweight: Elias Boudegzdame (champion) vs Lucas Mineiro
Bantamweight: Gurdarshan Mangat vs Stephen Loman (for the inaugural title)
Welterweight: Jarrah Al Selawe vs Carl Booth
Lightweight: Gesias Cavalcante vs Alan Omer
Lightweight: Erick “Índio Brabo” vs Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady
Welterweight: Mohammad Fakhreddine vs Tahar Hadbi
Preliminary card:
Bantamweight: Mohammad Farhad vs Hamza Kooheji
Bantamweight: Felipe Efrain vs Nawras Abzakh
Lightweight: Ahmed Amir vs Erik Carlsson
Bantamweight: Frans Mlambo vs Michael Deiga-Scheck
Middleweight: Jeremy Smith vs Ikram Aliskerov
Catchweight (150 lbs): Hardeep Rai vs Alex Trinidad
Lightweight: Charlie Leary vs Daniele Scatizzi
Bantamweight: Jeremy Pacatiw vs Jalal Al Daaja
Strawweight: Atif Mohammed vs Haider Farman
