Every fighter fights for something. Some for notoriety, some for self-pride. Brave CF lightweight champion Abdul Kareem Al-Selwady fights for his family and his country. The “Pride of Palestine” was born and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and moved to Jordan at the age of 13. Around 20 years old he relocated to Dallas, Texas where he trains at Fortis MMA. Al-Selwady has been with Brave CF since the very first event. He is without a doubt the heartbeat of the every expanding organization.
Combat Sports in the DNA
As Al-Selwady spoke to MMA Sucka he explained combat sports has been a part of his life since day one. He remembers watching UFC on television with his father, Husam Mubarak Al-Selwady. His father is also a Karate black belt and a former boxer. Al-Selwady also told MMA Sucka his father is largely responsible for instilling a solid fight mentality and helped him develop his great athletic base growing up.
Al-Selwady’s first physical engagement with combat sports came in the form of Muay-Thai. After winning national championships it was time to make the eventual transition to MMA.
Regional Scene to the Big Stage
After competing in regional MMA promotions, Al-Selwady eventually got the call to join Desert Force, based out of Jordan. Al-Selwady started his professional career on fire winning four in a row, all by way of finish. He showed his solid striking background with three of the four wins ending by knockout. His amazing run earned Al-Selwady a featherweight title shot against Aziz Juliadian at Desert Force 14 in December 2014.
Though Al-Selwady took the loss, he has not lost since. Al-Selwady built from the loss and in his return showed even more dominance than his first four victories. Al-Selwady returned to the Desert Force cage for Desert Force 15 and got back to his winning ways defeating Lois Cadet via unanimous decision in May 2015.
The Brave CF Run Begins
September 23, 2016 is a monumental day in Middle-Eastern MMA. Brave CF debuted their inaugural event with Brave CF 1: The Beginning in Isa Town, Bahrain. With approximately 30 seconds left in the first round, Al-Selwady locked in a rear naked choke on Rami Aziz for his first winner under the new banner of Brave CF. “I always new I was the champion,” Al-Selwady told MMA Sucka. “I just cleaned out he division until I got the belt.” He continued his run reeling off another three victories before earning his Brave CF lightweight title shot in a Brave CF 18 battle with Lucas Martins in November 2018.
Bright Future
After winning the title, Al-Selwady stated he returned to Palestine for a homecoming with the championship. The arrival was covered by newspaper and television stations from all over the area swelling with pride over their hometown champion. “It gave me more motivation. It is a big honor but also a big responsibility,” Al-Selwady stated to MMA Sucka.
Look for Al-Selwady to continue his impressive run through the East. A fighter of Al-Selwady’s finishing ability and charisma make him a solid sale to the North American fan base who may not be familiar with the amazing ability of Al-Selwady.
here is no doubt Al-Selwady is one of the best talents outside of the UFC. “I’m always looking for bigger challenges,” Al-Selwady stated.
