After making a winning return to the cage at Brave CF 46, Russian flyweight contender Ali Bagautinov is targeting championship glory, and hopes to go through a fellow former UFC contender to do it.
Bagautinov (19-7) returned to the sport after a 15-month hiatus and defeated Oleg Lichkovakha in the co-main event of Brave CF 46 and declared his intention to join the field for the Bahraini promotion’s upcoming flyweight tournament.
Now, Brave CF officials have confirmed that Bagautinov has been signed to compete in the tournament, which also includes Jose Torres, Zach Makovsky, Dustin Ortiz and Velimurad Alkhasov.
“Puncher” has already made clear who he hopes to face in the tournament as, after his win over Lichkovakha, he named Ortiz (19-8) as the man he most wants to tangle with inside the cage.
“I came here to win,” he said. “So Dustin, be ready, I am coming for you.”
Elsewhere in the promotion’s 125-pound division, a pair of former amateur world champions appear to have agreed to face off in another pivotal bout for the division.
Two-time IMMAF amateur flyweight champion Muhammad Mokaev took to Instagram to call for a bout with fellow former IMMAF champ, Finland’s Abdul Hussein.
Mokaev (4-0) issued his callout, stating that a bout between the pair would represent the best matchup the organization could book outside of the flyweight tournament.
“I believe this is the number 1 fight in the BRAVE CF Flyweight Division. The best fight outside of the tournament,” he wrote. “I respect this guy (Hussein) but this is my division!”
Hussein (7-1) took the callout in his stride and responded in Mokaev’s comments, posting simply, “Let’s go, brother!”
Ali Bagautinov joins Brave CF’s flyweight tournament, targets Dustin Ortiz showdown
