Abdoul Abdouraguimov is out to underline his status as the undisputed holder of the Brave Combat Federation’s welterweight title, the highlight of a 10-fight card at the Mubadala Arena on Friday.
Undefeated in 10 fights, the Russian-born Frenchman meets Jordanian Jarrah Al Selawi in a re-match at Brave CF 27, which he sees as a chance to prove his superiority over his rival, once and for all.
Al Selawi, 26, was the title-holder before losing it in a split decision in front of his home fans in Amman in April.
"This time I want to finish him off quickly so there's no question on the outcome of our last meeting," Abdouraguimov told The National.
“There was section of the crowd disputing that split decision in my favour. This time I don’t want to leave any kind of doubts as to who is the rightful owner of the belt.”
Abdouraguimov, 23, joined the Brave CF after his win over UFC veteran Viscardi Andrade in May 2018.
He earned a shot at the 175-pound title with back-to-back wins over Sidney Wheeler and Rodrigo Cavalheiro before claiming the belt from Al Selawi.
Abdouraguimov was a late starter in the sport. He was born in the Russian city of Dagestan – where UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov also hails from – from before his family relocated to in France when he was 14.
“I first started to train freestyle wrestling when I was 16 and that too was by chance,” Abdouraguimov said.
“I accompanied my cousin to the gym one day and there I saw a wrestling classes being conducted. I joined as I didn’t have anything else to do at that time, and then moved to jiu-jitsu a couple of years later.”
In jiu-jitsu, he won a bronze in the blue belt at the Abu Dhabi World Professional Championship in 2014. He later practiced mixed martial arts and turned professional at age 21.
“I liked mixed martial arts because it gave the freedom for ground fighting as well as punch, kick and wrestle,” he said.
“After joining MMA, I trained in karate, muay thai and kick boxing to add to my repertoire. As a late starter, I still have a lot to learn and more room for improvement.
“It’s now a full-time job for me and I love it. I train throughout the year to target around three fights. I am here now to defend a title. It’s been great journey for me so far.”
Abdouraguimov has no long-term ambitions and says he will take it one fight at a time.
“I don’t think too much about the future,” he said. “At this point of time my only thoughts are on Friday’s fight and after that we’ll see what’s next for me.”
Having started with wrestling and jiu-jitsu, the ground-game appears to be one of the strong areas for Abdouraguimov. He acknowledges Al Selawi, as a kick boxer, is strong in his strike-game.
“I don’t think too much ahead of any fight,” he said. “I don’t want to put undue pressure on myself. Against Jarrah, I know him well after our meeting six months ago and I’m confident.”
Meanwhile, Al Selawi (13-3-0) has turned his focus back on his kickboxing skills and is also aiming for a knockout in the re-match.
“You know, last time I felt like I was expecting the decision in my favour but that didn’t happen,” he said.
“This time I’m going for the knockout. I expect the support of the Arab fans for the event. I’d like everyone in our MMA community to come and see my re-match.”
The other title contest in the fight card is between Anas Siraj Mounir of Morocco and Canadian Alex Martinez in the lightweight division.
