‘Pato’ Martínez ‘surprised’ with Brave title shot, vows to finish Azaitar by second round
After making his promotional debut in April, and on a two-fight win streak for Brave, Alejandro “Pato” Martínez has been elevated to the main event of the organization’s biggest-ever show, Brave 9: The Kingdom of Champions, set for November 17th, in Bahrain. After admitting he was surprised to be involved in the inaugural Lightweight title bout, the Mexican phenom has vowed to seize the opportunity and become one of Mexico’s biggest-ever MMA fighters.
Martínez says he feels blessed by the chance he has given and claims he was expecting to face either Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady or Alan Omer instead of Ottman Azaitar in a title fight.
“I was surprised with the call. I feel blessed and very happy at this opportunity. I can make history for Mexican MMA by becoming a Brave champion. We were actually expecting a regular fight, against Omer or Al-Selwady but we were able to get this chance and this has given me an extra boost. I’m more motivated and training harder than ever. If I can claim the title, I’ll become the Mexican with the most prestigious world title currently in MMA. And this is just the beginning for me”, claims Martínez.
While the focus has been on the title, “Pato” isn’t overlooking his next opponent. The Mexican Lightweight knows that Azaitar is a menace to his possible reign as champion, but guarantees that he’ll finish the Moroccan within the first two rounds.
“I know he’s a very dangerous fighter. He’s undefeated, with nine wins and there’s a reason he hasn’t lost yet. My coaches have been studying him and we’ll have a great strategy to win this fight. Fans can expect fireworks. People will talk about that fight for a long time and it won’t go past the second round. I’m really well trained and motivated and ready to become a world champion”, vows “Pato”.
Brave 9: The Kingdom of Champions marks the promotion’s return to Bahrain after a year. During 2017, Brave Combat Federation expanded its operations, putting on groundbreaking shows in countries such as Brazil (twice), Mexico, Kazakhstan, India, and the United Arab Emirates. 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 x Alejandro Martínez (for the inaugural title)
Featherweight: Elias Boudegzdame (champion) x Lucas Mineiro
Bantamweight: Gurdarshan Mangat x Stephen Loman (for the inaugural title)
Welterweight: Jarrah Al Selawe x Carl Booth
Lightweight: Gesias Cavalcante x Alan Omer
Lightweight: Erick “Índio Brabo” x Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady
Welterweight: Mohammad Fakhreddine x Tahar Hadbi
Preliminary card:
Bantamweight: Mohammad Farhad x Hamza Kooheji
Bantamweight: Felipe Efrain x Nawras Abzakh
Lightweight: Ahmed Amir x Erik Carlsson
Bantamweight: Frans Mlambo x Michael Deiga-Scheck
Middleweight: Jeremy Smith x Ikram Aliskerov
Catchweight (150 lbs): Hardeep Rai x Alex Trinidad
Lightweight: Charlie Leary x Daniele Scatizzi
Bantamweight: Jeremy Pacatiw x Jalal Al Daaja
Strawweight: Atif Mohammed x Haider Farman
