Russian flyweight contender Ali “Puncher King” Bagautinov showcased his heavy hands as he scored a 61-second TKO finish of late replacement opponent Sean Santella at Brave CF 55 to reach the final of the Brave CF flyweight title tournament.
Fighting on home soil in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, Bagautinov rose to the occasion in front of his fellow compatriots to earn a title fight with fellow contender Velimurad Alkhasov in the grand finale of the tournament. The winner of that bout will be crowned Brave CF’s inaugural 125-pound champion.
“Velimurad, we have known each other for many years, and I’m happy to be fighting you,” said Bagautinov after his win.
“Now is our time, let’s show who is the best.”
Also on the card, English lightweight Sam Patterson scored a huge submission victory over Kamil Magomedov in their 155-pound clash.
Magomedov had the upper hand through the majority of the opening frame, but the Englishman turned the tables in Round 2 as he swept his opponent and locked up a guillotine choke that forced the tap at the 3:21 mark and pushed “The Future” closer to a shot at former opponent and current lightweight champion Ahmed Amir.
The card also saw something of a rarity, with the co-main event producing a unanimous draw, with all three judges scoring the bout between Ibrahim Mane and Artur Sviridov 29-29.
Brave CF 55: Official Results
- Ali Bagautinov def. Sean Santella via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:01 – flyweight tournament semi-final
- Ibrahim Mane vs. Artur Sviridov ruled a unanimous draw (29-29, 29-29, 29-29)
- Sam Patterson def. Kamil Magomedov via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, at 3:21
- Abusupyan Alikhanov def. Rustam Chsiev via majority decision (29-29, 30-28, 30-29)
- Sergey Yaskovec def. Andrey Bragovskiy via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:53
- Kamal Magomedov def. Vitaly Tverdokhlebov via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 0:52
- Ali Abdulkhalikov def. Artur Aliev via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-28, 30-28)
- Gazimurad Magomedov def. Djabrail Aidamirov via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:46
- Albert Mallakurbanov def. Ahmed Omarov via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 29-27)
- Vadim Pavlikov def. Alan Balaev via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 3:56
