CV Stardom

Borislav Nikolić, 32, of Serbia is the reigning bantamweight world champion of BRAVE Combat Federation. He will defend the title at “BRAVE 100” at Khalifa Sports City in Isa Town, Bahrain on November 7, 2025.

Set to challenge Nikolić is Hamza Kooheji, 32, of Bahrain. The defending champion holds a professional mixed martial arts record of 13 wins and 2 losses while the challenger has 14 wins and 3 losses.

Hamza Kooheji

This will be Kooheji’s second shot at BRAVE CF World Championship glory after coming agonizingly close in 2022. He said, “I’m going to keep fighting.”

“I dream about it every night,” the Bahraini MMA fighter continued. “I’m named after one of the greatest warriors in history, and Hamza means lions. I’m the best 61-kilogram fighter. Anywhere I can go and fight with any fighter at 61 kilograms.”

Since debuting at BRAVE CF’s inaugural event in 2016, Kooheji has been a cornerstone of the promotion’s evolution. With 11 appearances and nine hard-earned victories, he embodies the spirit and identity of the organization.

But despite Kooheji’s success, he has often flown under the radar. This is something BRAVE CF president Mohammed Shahid passionately disputes in a recent podcast.

“He is the most underrated fighter that I’ve ever dealt with,” Shahid said of Kooheji. “My knowledge, as much as I know, I have not seen a fighter more underrated than Hamza Kooheji.”

“Hamza had to learn, no background of amateur fights”, Shahid continued. “He’s not coming from a jiu-jitsu background, not from the kickboxing background, Muay Thai background. Nothing.”

Kooheji’s journey to the top has been anything but conventional. Without the pedigree of formal martial arts training, he built his arsenal from scratch, relying on grit, intelligence and an unbreakable will.

“Nobody knows the part he played and how important part that is,” Shahid emphasized. “This has to be the time everybody needs to know who Hamza Kooheji is, as the fighter that had the biggest impact on the region.”