Manama: The Pride of Bahrain, Hamza Kooheji, returned to the BRAVE Combat Federation cage after a two-year hiatus and proved to the world that he still has it by delivering a dominant performance.
Hamza faced Turkish superstar Alperen Karabulut at the event in a fight that gained a lot of attention due to its heated buildup. Alperen had launched verbal attacks on Hamza throughout fight week, raising the stakes for the bout.
The mind games, however, did not affect Hamza, who controlled the fight from the opening bell. Hamza took the front foot from the start, securing a takedown in the first round to dominate on the ground. A similar story unfolded in the second round as the Turkish star found no room to mount any offense against the Bahraini veteran. Hamza’s seamless transitions on the ground opened opportunities for ground-and-pound strikes, which he utilized to secure the finish.
At the same time, the crowd inside the arena complemented Hamza’s dominant performance by creating an electric atmosphere.
Despite being away from the BRAVE CF cage for two years, Hamza showed no signs of slowing down, picking up right where he left off. The win marked his third consecutive victory and placed him back in Bantamweight title contention.
In his post-fight speech, Hamza revealed that he held no personal grudge against Alperen and acknowledged him as a guest in Bahrain. He also mentioned that he would sit down with his team to decide his next move but made it clear that his goal is to claim the World title.
“I want to fight before Ramadan. I have maybe two years left. I will make my way to the top fast,” Hamza noted in his post-fight speech.
Interestingly, in the main event of BRAVE CF 91, Nicholas Hwende captured the Bantamweight title from Nkosi Ndebele after a dominant performance, making the future of the division even more exciting.
