On September 23, 2016, the Kingdom of Bahrain created the spark which revolutionized the sport of mixed martial arts in the Middle East. BRAVE Combat Federation was born on this day two years ago. The promotion has moved from the middle east and has become a truly global phenomenon in the two years and the Combat World celebrates its 2nd anniversary today.

The Kingdom of Bahrain, thriving under its visionary leaders such as His Highness Sheik Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, is what catalyzed this majestic rise of the promotion. BRAVE CF CEO and Mr. Mohammed Shahid was the man who was instrumental in assisting the Sheik towards the success of the promotion.

Sheikh Khalid is the First Deputy President of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sport and President of the Bahrain Athletics Association. His passion for combat sports evolved into the formation of BRAVE CF. Watching Hamza Kooheji - a fighter training at Mohammad Shahid's gym win in a Desert Force event significantly fuelled the Sheikh's interest in the sport.

The Sheikh’s Birthday coincides with the anniversary of Brave Combat Federation. To commemorate this occasion, the Sportskeeda MMA Squad pens the five major milestones in the BRAVE Combat Federation during the last two years. We the Sportskeeda team wishes His Highness Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa a very happy birthday on this auspicious occasion. So, without much adieu, here are the 5 most significant moments in the last two years of BRAVE CF.

#5 KHK MMA Fight Team is found bringing global athletes under one roof

His Highness Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa alongside Hamza Kooheji & Hussain Ayyad.

The KHK MMA team opened their doors in March 2015, but it was only in December that fans and pundits truly took notice of their involvement in the sport. The Prince cornered former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar during his TUF 22 Finale main event against Chad Mendes, a fight that Edgar won by KO. To celebrate, the former champ wore the flags of both the USA and Bahrain during his post-fight interview.


The KHK team rose quickly with the support of the country's royal family. They signed the likes of former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar, and the undefeated Russian sensation Khabib Nurmagomedov to the roster. This provided the team with top-notch experience and gave the young fighters the opportunity to closely watch and learn from these titans. The team initially recruited new fighters within Bahrain and other Nations like India, Pakistan, and Ireland.

Mohamad Shaheed, the charismatic head of the team was a former fighter himself, and he knew what it meant to be a fighter in a society where MMA is still in the nascent stage of its evolution as a spectator sport. He made sure that all fighters, amateur or professional, are given a monthly stipend to live on so that his or her entire daily focus is simply on fighting and self-improvement.

KHK MMA thus removed livelihood concerns from their fighters which enabled the fighters to train with their full potential without any hindrances. All these brilliant moves permitted KHK MMA to foster some world-class athletes who returned the favor by bringing glory to the Kingdom of Bahrain by winning accolades all over the world.