Young student provides Al-Selwady with special motivation ahead of Brave 9 showdown
Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady has been on a tear since joining the ranks at Brave Combat Federation. The Jordanian fought twice under Brave’s banner, submitting Rami Aziz in the promotion’s first-ever show then followed his main event appearance with a TKO over Michael Deiga-Scheck at Brave 4. He now faces Erick “Índio Brabo” at Brave 9, in Bahrain, on November 17th, and will be cheered on by his number one fan, young Rayyan.
She’s a student of Al-Selwady’s at Fortis MMA, in Texas, where he also trains. At six years old, Rayyan has formed a strong bond with the Lightweight contender and has gone from strength to strength since her involvement with martial arts. Rayyan was born with a rare condition and underwent painful surgery when she was only 14 months old. After spending a few years without talking, she was diagnosed with autism. But everything changed when she joined Al-Selwady’s classes in Dallas. She has grown in confidence, developing social skills and became the top student in her class in the process.
The Brave contender has spoken about the impact he made on young Rayyan’s life and says he’s grateful for being a part of such extraordinary change in someone’s life through martial arts training.
“This is really the best part of, not only being a fighter but being a human. I’m very grateful. But specifically being someone people look up to…That’s a great responsibility”, says “The Pride of Palestine”.
Brave 9: The Kingdom of Champions marks the promotion’s return to Bahrain after a year. During 2017, the organization has put on groundbreaking events in countries such as Brazil (twice), Mexico, the United Arab Emirates, India, and Kazakhstan. Brave 9 will be the culmination of the International Combat Week, alongside the IMMAF World Championships, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa.
Brave 9: The Kingdom of Champions Fight Card:
Main card:
Lightweight: Ottman Azaitar vs. Alejandro Martínez (for the inaugural title)
Featherweight: Elias Boudegzdame (champion) vs. Lucas Mineiro
Bantamweight: Gurdarshan Mangat vs. Stephen Loman (for the inaugural title)
Welterweight: Jarrah Al Selawe vs. Carl Booth
Lightweight: Gesias Cavalcante vs. Alan Omer
Lightweight: Erick “Índio Brabo” vs. Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady
Welterweight: Mohammad Fakhreddine vs. Tahar Hadbi
Preliminary card:
Bantamweight: Mohammad Farhad vs. Hamza Kooheji
Bantamweight: Felipe Efrain vs. Nawras Abzakh
Lightweight: Ahmed Amir vs. Erik Carlsson
Bantamweight: Frans Mlambo vs. Michael Deiga-Scheck
Middleweight: Jeremy Smith vs. Ikram Aliskerov
Catchweight (150 lbs): Hardeep Rai vs. Alex Trinidad
Lightweight: Charlie Leary vs. Daniele Scatizzi
Bantamweight: Jeremy Pacatiw vs. Jalal Al Daaja
Strawweight: Atif Mohammed vs. Haider Farman
