MMA Fighter Karim Shaheen will be in action against Philippines champion in Pakistan on 27th October
Report: EHSAN ALI HASHMI
The Pakistani Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) star Uloomi Karim Shaheen will be fighting Philippines’ Jeremy Pacatiw in the co-main event of the Brave Combat Federation’s Brave 17 event set to take place in Lahore on October 27.
The Brave 17 fight night marks the first time an international MMA promotion is staging its event in Pakistan, for which it will bring international stars but also use local talent.
One of at least two Pakistani fighters on the card will be Uloomi, who famously defeated India’s Yadwinder Singh in 2016, and brought his young sport some much-needed attention. The fight against Pacatiw will offer Uloomi a chance to bounce back following his surprise defeat to Afghanistan Emran Tarakhil last month.
That defeat had snapped a three-fight winning spree for the Islamabad native, who must be raring to put that setback behind him, especially in front of his home fans and at a high-profile event that Brave is cooking.
“Fighting Pacatiw is going to be an interesting battle,” Uloomi told media. “Also, I can’t wait to fight in the prestigious BRAVE CF and that too on home soil. There’s going to be fireworks, guaranteed!”
Meanwhile, the main event of the night will be a welterweight bout between veteran Brazilian Rodrigo Cavalheiro and Abdoul Abdouraguimov — an unbeaten prospect out of France.
While only two fights have been officially confirmed yet, sources tell media that the eventual fight card could feature several more global athletes as well as Pakistani fighters, including Mehmosh Raza, Haider Farman, Zia Mashwani and Najam Khan.
However, the prospects of once unbeaten Ahmed “The Wolverine” Mujtaba being on the fight card are slim due to his commitment with ONE FC.
A brainchild of Bahraini royal family member Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Brave was founded in 2016 but has swiftly gained traction in the fight circles and can already be regarded as perhaps the most notable MMA promotion out of the Middle East.
It’s international ascension has been just as remarkable, with the nascent organization already having staged events in Bahrain, UAE, Brazil, India, Mexico, Jordan, Colombia, Indonesia, United Kingdom and Morocco.
Moreover, in less than two years of its inception, Brave has seen its platform and facilities used by more than 250 fighters from 43 nations. It is mentioned here that on July 30th 2016 it was the day to remember for Pakistani Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fans as both Uloomi Kareem and Ahmed Mujtaba earned dominating wins over their respective opponents in their World Series of Fighting Global Championship bouts in Manila, Philippines.Kareem’s victory in particular was special as in India’s Yadwinder Singh he was up against an opponent who enjoyed a two-inch size advantage. Yet, any advantage that Singh had soon evaporated as soon as the two fighters entered the cage.The 27-year-old Kareem, fighting under Team Fight Fortress’s banner, dominated the fight from start to finish to earn a unanimous 30-27, 30-27, 29-28 win.
Later on, Mujtaba faced local favourite Neil Larano and was even more spectacular, taking just one minute and eight seconds of the first round to finish the Filipino via an armbar triangle choke.