Indian MMA fighter Owais Yakoob who has been training under UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov at the American Kickboxing Academy delivered a strong and explosive performance at Brave CF 103 that left the fans stunned and provided a moment of joy to Indian MMA fans, as this year turned out to be a disastrous one for the Indian MMA community, which suffered numerous defeats on the global elite level.
Owais Yakoob Delivers a Statement Win at BRAVE CF 103
Owais Yakoob was initially slated to face Zukhriddin Gafurov at Brave CF 103 in Bukhara, Uzbekistan, on December 23. However, his opponent withdrew from the fight a few weeks before the scheduled date. He then faced Mehmet Can Tasdoven at Brave CF 103 in the lightweight bout.
Yakoob, who has sharpened his skills while training alongside former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, showcased the kind of composure and ferocity rarely seen from a newcomer on such a big stage. From the opening bell, Yakoob controlled the tempo. He pressured his opponent with his wrestling prowess.
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He pressed him against the cage, holding him, and landed a series of great knees to the face. One knee landed straight on the head, dropping his opponent, and the Indian fighter finished the fight with brutal ground and pound.
Owais Yakoob secured a quick TKO victory in the first round, which came under 1:30. This statement victory has left fans stunned, and his fight style reminded many of Khabib Nurmagomedov, with whom he is training.
Watch Owais Yakoob’s first-round TKO victory below:
DONE IN ONE!🇮🇳⚡️ Owais Yaqoob earns another first round TKO victory 👏🏻
[Now LIVE on YouTube | #BRAVE103 #ATF27#Bukhara #Uzbekistan | @rdx_sports] pic.twitter.com/CwcLtOTMfq
— BRAVE Combat Federation (@bravemmaf) December 23, 2025
Yakoob has been training under American Kickboxing Academy’s head coach Javier Mendez, and has had the opportunity to train with Khabib Nurmagomedov, Islam Makhachev, and top Dagestani fighters. In his recent performance, he showed improvement in his game.
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At Brave CF 103, Yakoob extended his win streak to five overall. His MMA record is 5-1, with his only loss coming in his first professional MMA fight against Neeraj Panghal at Matrix Fight Night 11.
Owais Yakoob Reveals He Trained with UFC Fighter Anshul Jubli for Camp
In his octagon interview, Owais Yakoob revealed that he trained with Indian UFC fighter Anshul Jubli for the fight at Brave CF 103 and thanked him for his contribution, emphasizing that Indians are among the best in the game.
“I wanna thank my training partner in India. I train with the UFC fighter Anshul Jubli.” Owais Yakoob said. “We train together for this camp also with many coaches in India and we showed here we are the best.”
Yakoob also shared that he plans to fight contenders and expressed his desire to become the first Brave champion from India. Meanwhile, Jubli is on an extended hiatus after suffering a brutal 19-second knockout loss to Quillan Salkilld at UFC 312.
