Ljubljana : Lebanese professional mixed martial artist Mohammad Fakhreddine achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first Arab fighter to win three world titles under the BRAVE Combat Federation, following his victory at BRAVE CF 96, held in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Fakhreddine was crowned Middleweight World Champion after defeating Bosnia’s Erko Jun, the reigning Light Heavyweight champion, by technical knockout at 4 minutes and 41 seconds of the first round. The bout headlined BRAVE CF 96, organised by Bahrain based BRAVE Combat Federation in cooperation with the World Freefight Challenge (WFC), as part of the 2025 “Year of the BRAVE” series.
The Lebanese athlete had previously won the Middleweight title in September 2020 at BRAVE CF 41 in the Kingdom of Bahrain, following a victory over Brazil’s Daniel Pereira. He later won the Light Heavyweight title in March 2022 at BRAVE CF 57, also in Bahrain, after defeating Algeria’s Mohamed Said Maalem.
In the co-main event of BRAVE CF 96, Serbia’s Borislav Nikolic was crowned Bantamweight World Champion after submitting the defending champion from Zimbabwe, Nicholas Hwende, with a ninja choke at 1 minute and 40 seconds of the fourth round.
The event also featured several high profile matchups. Slovenian fighter Miha Frlic secured a technical knockout victory over Bangladesh’s Shah Kamali just 29 seconds into the third round. In the women’s division, Slovenia’s Monika Kucinic defeated Georgia’s Sofiia Bagishvili via TKO at 4 minutes and 55 seconds of the second round.
Brazil’s Marciano Ferreira claimed a split decision win over Georgia’s Bidzina Gavashelishvili, while Poland’s Arkadiusz Balukowski earned a decision victory against Slovenia’s Jan Perus.
Estonia’s Kristjan Toniste defeated Slovenia’s David Forster by decision, and Slovenian fighter Domen Drnovsek prevailed over Serbia’s Filip Gusa. The opening bout saw Slovenia’s Kiril Negru defeat Slovakia’s Robert Guth by decision.
The event emphasised BRAVE CF’s commitment to showcasing global talent and solidified its reputation as a leading international MMA organisation.
