In the opening round, Owais Yaqoob of India made a stunning debut by stopping Ian Paul "Choco" Lora of the Philippines. At 3:06 of the first round, Lora was forced to tap out after Yaqoob secured a takedown and proceeded to pound her mercilessly. For Yaqoob, however, the significance of the moment extends well beyond the outcome since he is s the first-ever professional mixed martial artist from Kashmir to enter the BRAVE CF cage.
Who is Owais Yaqoob?
Yaqoob was raised in Murran village and started practising martial arts in 2013 with taekwondo. He won 11 national gold medals, six silvers and 17 state-level titles over the course of the following ten years, building a resume that few could match.
Additionally, he was named the "Champion of Champions" in 2018 and recognised as the "Best Fighter Boy" in 28 states. He continued to be competitive after that. Yaqoob won a bronze medal at the 2022 WEKAF World Championship in the Philippines while proudly representing India in Eskrima, the Filipino stick fighting martial art.
However, the spark for a move to mixed martial arts was ignited by a 2018 televised fight involving UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov. Before going professional in 2023, Yaqoob, who was inspired by the Russian legend, set out to master the all-encompassing sport and won three national amateur titles.
Owais Yaqoob journey so far
It took almost a year for Yaqoob to hone his craft in Mixed Martial art. He defeated Mohammad Azim Mokhlis in March 2024 by a unanimous decision. Momentum quickly ensued. His record is now 3-1 after he won back-to-back fights, including a TKO of Shetty Pratik Sadashiv in the second round this past April. Brave CF took notice of those performances and handed him a chance to fight on the biggest stage
