Who ordered combat sports with their lunch on Saturday? If this order from the kitchen of athleticism is yours, pick it up! This Saturday afternoon features not one, but two helpings of MMA from around the world, complete with a delicious serving of championship action courtesy of Brave CF to satiate your appetite
#BRAVENation, join us in extending heartfelt congratulations to the visionary founder and leader of #BRAVECF, His Highness Shaikh Khaled bin Hamad Al Khalifa, on the momentous occasion of BRAVE CF's 8️⃣th anniversary💪🎊#BRAVECF #MMA #BeBRAVE #8years #anniversary #yearoftruth pic.twitter.com/iTAtKm3ksi
— BRAVE Combat Federation (@bravemmaf) September 23, 2024
The world tour of competitive violence makes its next stop in the capital city of Slovenia, Ljubljana for Brave CF 88. Action begins at 1:30 pm ET/10:30 am PT on DAZN inside the United States. Absent of any new postponements ahead of the card, Brave CF 88 will feature nine bouts this weekend.
As previously mentioned, there are two championship fights to cap this Saturday’s card. Immediately following the co-main event of the evening for the inaugural Brave CF Heavyweight Championship, the scene shifts to 205 lbs. in the headlining affair.
Vacant Light Heavyweight Title at Stake in Brave CF 88 Main Event Saturday
Highlighting the itinerary for Saturday night is the battle for the Vacant Brave CF Light Heavyweight Championship in the Brave CF 88 main event. Erko Jun (8-2 MMA, 2-0 Brave CF) meets up with Alexander Wesner (10-5 MMA, Brave CF promotional debut.)
As with all MMA championship fights in most promotions throughout the world, the Brave CF 88 main event is an advertised maximum of five rounds at five minutes per round to close out the show. Its winner becomes only the fourth Brave CF Light Heavyweight Champion in its history, succeeding former 205-lb. titleholder Mohammad Fakhreddine, who relinquished both the middleweight and light heavyweight straps two years ago when he departed the organization.
𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐎𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋🏆
Erko Jun takes on Alexander Wesner in the main event of #BRAVECF88 x #WFC27 for the Vacant Undisputed Light Heavyweight title 🇸🇮🏆
Who will walk out as the NEW World Champion?👀#BRAVECF #MMA #Slovenia pic.twitter.com/5A2tssvFnA
— BRAVE Combat Federation (@bravemmaf) July 28, 2024
Brave CF 88 Main Event Fighter Comparison
Heading into the Brave CF 88 main event on Saturday night, Alexander Wesner stands as the taller man at six feet even, compared to the 5-foot-10 frame of Erko Jun. The former owns a 72.8-inch reach, with no such information accessible for the latter at press time.
Currently, the oddsmakers have yet to release money lines for Brave CF 88 over the weekend. If you plan on betting on this or any other fight happening in MMA and/or combat sports this weekend, please wager responsibly.
Jun Looks for Career Benchmark Saturday
Erko Jun enters the Brave CF 88 main event on Saturday having posted a record of 5-0 in his last five MMA appearances dating back to December of 2021. Most recently, he scored a first-round knockout (punches) over Mohamed Said Maalem (14-6, 1 NC MMA, 3-3, 1 NC Brave CF) this past April during Brave CF 81 on DAZN.
Even before the fight with Said Maalem, Erko Jun had a shot at the title on his radar, something he mentioned during an interview with the MMALockerRoom YouTube channel.
“I’m aiming for that belt and they know it,” Jun said. “They know it. Brave also [knows] that this is my fight. If I win this fight [versus Said Maalem], I want to fight for the title. There’s no champ at the moment at light heavyweight.”
With his win against Mohamed Said Maalem, the first part of the equation was completed back in the spring. Now that he’s potentially 25 minutes away from becoming the new champion, will Erko Jun finish his mission in grand style?
Tune into the Brave CF 88 main event on Saturday and find out.
Wesner Seeks to Impress in Promotional Debut While Moving Up From 185
In the other corner, Alexander Wesner has gone 5-0 in his last five fights going back to March of 2022. Last time out, he bested Guilherme Cadena (34-25, 1 NC MMA) in December during GMC 36 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.
This was his initial defense of the GMC Middleweight Championship, a strap that he won in September of 2022 in Hamburg. Saturday’s main event will be Wesner’s first at 205 lbs. since November of 2021. Even though the Brave CF 88 main event marks his return to 205 lbs., the circumstances are by no means virgin territory for Alexander Wesner.
Back in December of 2019, he fought for a light heavyweight championship in his native country of Germany, albeit unsuccessfully. He’s been down this road before and has captured gold at middleweight. Now, slightly less than three years removed from his last fight in the light heavyweight division, can he attain supremacy at 205 lbs.?
Analysis, Film Study, and Prediction
The Brave CF 88 main event looks to be another one of those classic strength vs. strength affairs. Who takes the championship?
Jun Doesn’t Mess Around
Statistically speaking, Erko Jun has finished all eight of his victories by way of knockout, including his fight last year against Marko Drmonjic. During the first round, Jun pieced Drmonjic up with kicks to the leg, reddening his opponent’s thigh in the process.
He mixed in a few punches while returning to the leg kicks, eventually sending Drmonjic to the canvas with a solid punch. A flurry of ground and pound shots provided the exclamation point on this story.
Look for Erko Jun to chop away with leg kicks in the Brave CF 88 main event. Once Wesner’s leg starts to feel the effect of those kicks, he can go upstairs with his fists to send him down.
Wesner Has Finishing Power, Too
In the other corner, don’t discount Alexander Wesner’s prowess once the cage door closes. Just look at his fight against Benjamin Ross in 2021. Round two of that fight saw him land a leg kick before stalking Ross, who counterstruck with a kick of his own.
While Ross tried to engage a clinch, Wesner had none of it, landing another kick to an already-bloodied leg, finally moving into score a knockout punch. A single shot is all Alexander Wesner needs to clinch the championship.
If Wesner can disrupt Erko Jun’s gameplan during the Brave CF 88 main event, that belt’s going back to Germany with him on the flight home.
Final Thoughts
If you’ve got any leftover pizza from Friday night, heat it up before the Brave CF 88 main event starts. There may not be too much time once the opening bell tolls.
Prediction: Erko Jun by First-Round Knockout.
