Eduardo Dantas previews victory for new teammates at Brave 12
Former world champion Eduardo Dantas temporarily left his home in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for a special trip to Bahrain, where he’s training at KHK MMA, founded under the leadership of His Highness Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, for his next bout. While there, the Bantamweight star has been spending time with Brave standouts Eldar Eldarov and Hamza Kooheji, who both fight at this week’s Brave 12: KHK Legacy.
Dantas expects great victories for his new teammates and feels the wrestling base and overall MMA game taught at KHK MMA will be too much for their opponents, Brian Hooi and Khaled Taha, respectively. The Brazilian fighter reserved special praise for Eldarov’s strength at 70 kg.
“I’ve been here for the past six weeks and he’s a very strong guy for the Lightweight division. He’s got an amazing wrestling base. He’s very well-trained, you can see how well he’s doing here. He’s in excellent shape, learning everything. He picks up on things very quickly and he’s a very intelligent guy. He’s going to face a southpaw with a strong stand-up game, but I’m confident Eldar will impose his game and come out with a fast win. Eldar is really on another level”, commented Dantas.
While at KHK MMA, “Dudu” has also been witness to the development of Hamza Kooheji, Bahrain’s biggest MMA fighter, and Brave star. Their bond has been one of the highlights of his trip, according to Dantas, who feels Kooheji is ready for a breakthrough now as a Featherweight.
“Hamza is a very intelligent kid. He’s forming his base now. He’s been training with Eldar for a while. He’s got great takedown defense and can take guys down too. He’s very intelligent, everything you say to him, he soaks it in quickly. It’s very easy to work with that type of fighter. I feel privileged in being able to work with him, and sharing the experiences I’ve had. He’s going to face a very tough fighter. The German guy (Taha) likes to stand up, has really heavy hands, but the strategy is done. Hamza is in a great state of mind and he’s got everything to bring another victory back to Bahrain”, says the Brazilian.
Brave 12: KHK Legacy is headlined by the Lightweight duel between Eldar Eldarov and Brian Hooi, with possible title implications. The co-main event will feature a Welterweight bout between top contenders Jarrah Al-Selawe and Tahar Hadbi. Also set for the event are the promotional debuts of former UFC fighters Mehdi Baghdad and Leonardo “Macarrão” Mafra. They take on Pawel Kielek and Gadzhimusa Gaziev, respectively.
Brave 12: KHK Legacy full fight card:
Lightweight: Eldar Eldarov (Russia) vs. Brian Hooi (Netherlands)
Welterweight: Tahar Hadbi (Algeria) vs. Jarrah Al Selawe (Jordan)
Welterweight: Mehdi Baghdad (France) vs Pawel Kielek (Poland)
Light Heavyweight: Vincent Majid (Indonesia) vs. Jing Yi Chong (Malaysia)
Featherweight: Hamza Kooheji (Bahrain) vs. Khaled Taha (Germany)
Featherweight Marat Magomedov (Russia) vs. Luke Adams (USA)
Catchweight: Gadzhimusa Gaziev (Russia) vs. Leonardo Mafra (Brazil)
Lightweight: Hardeep Rai (UK) vs. John Brewin (New Zealand)
Catchweight: Jeremy Pacatiw (Philippines) vs. Kaan Ofli (Australia)
Flyweight: Hussain Ayyad (Bahrain) vs. Jomar Pa-ac (Philippines)
Bantamweight: Gamzat Magomedov (Russia) vs. Zeck Lange (USA)
Catchweight: Akhmed Magomedov (Russia) vs. Anthony Engelen (Netherlands)
