Fighters Only : Brave CF 72: Two-time amateur world champion Rasul Magomedov set for professional debut

Simon Head

Jun 22, 2023

The latest elite-level talent off the amateur production line joins the professional ranks at Brave CF 72 on Friday, June 23 as wrestling phenom Rasul Magomedov makes his pro debut for Brave Combat Federation.

Dagestan-born Magomedov, who has represented Bahrain in MMA, is a two-time IMMAF world champion, and also has a wrestling victory over Olympic and world champion Kyle Snyder to his name.

Now, after compiling a perfect 13-0 amateur career that included a clean sweep of IMMAF titles in 2021 – World Championship, World Cup, European Championship – Magomedov is ready to embark on his professional career, and will take on Mohamed Hisham Baraka at the National Stadium in Riffa, Bahrain, with expectation levels sky-high about his potential in the sport.

"This fight card has so many great stories. We’re talking about legends of other sports competing, like five-time wushu sanda world champion Mohsen Mohammedseifi. But we have to talk about Rasul Magomedov," said Brave CF president Mohammed Shahid.

"Yes, he’s making his professional debut. But he has monumental competition experience. He is a two-time IMMAF amateur world champion, he's the number one heavyweight in IMMAF. And to know that, before that, he achieved even greater heights, by beating Kyle Snyder. You can’t help but be excited at this kid.

"He doesn’t even move like a heavyweight or a light heavyweight. The bigger guys have certain limitations to how they can move, to how they fight – he doesn’t have those. His wrestling, the fact that he beat Kyle Snyder, tells you everything you need to know."

Magomedov will make his professional bow on a fight card that is headlined by a featherweight title battle, as defending champion Roman Bogatov takes on number-one contender Nemat Abdrashitov.