On Friday, March 15, Brave Combat Federation (Brave CF) ventured into the Philippines for the first time in the promotion’s three-year existence with a mixed martial arts show titled Brave 22: Storm of Warriors. The event took place at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City and featured eight Filipino fighters competing on home soil, including bantamweight champion Stephen Loman, who defeated Algeria’s Elias Boudegzdame by fourth round technical knockout. Yet apart from being a triumphant event for the promotion, Brave 22 was also a masterclass of political diplomacy between Bahrain and the Philippines.
Ahead of the event, Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the fifth son of Bahrain’s King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa and founder of Brave CF, met with Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte to discuss the friendship between the Republic of the Philippines and the Kingdom of Bahrain.