Bahrain has a new superstar! Abdullah “Eto” Yaqoob rose to the occasion and put on a stellar performance to open BRAVE CF 71, at the Bahrain National Stadium, in Riffa, this Monday (19). Yaqoob showed an incredible combination of powerful striking, wrestling, and ground-and-pound to finish Kenneth Maningat in the second round.
Yaqoob started the first round taking control of the actions and hurting Maningat, especially with his piercing jabs. Eventually, though, the Bahraini got caught by surprise and was rocked by the Filipino.
The second round started like the first one ended, with “Eto” getting wobbled by Maningat. Once again, the tides turned halfway through and, when they did, it was once and for all. Pressuring against the fence, Yaqoob got the takedown, took the full mount, and finished Maningat with a devastating ground-and-pound.
Celebrated by his teammates and fans, and having improved his perfect professional record to 5 wins and no losses, Yaqoob commented on the rollercoaster of a fight he starred inside the BRAVE CF Arena.
“I planned for one type of fight before but, when I stepped into the cage, everything changed. He actually showed a lot of heart and kept pushing forward. But I was able to adapt and come out with the victory”, a very emotional Yaqoob said to Phil Campbell.
“I would like to thank His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Hamad Al Khalifa for all the support and everything he’s done not just for me but for the entire sport of MMA in Bahrain”, Yaqoob continued. “I’m very grateful too for my coach Eldar Eldarov and all my colleagues at KHK MMA”.
BRAVE CF 71 Official Results:
Featherweight: Omar Solomanov beat Ilyar Askhanov via unanimous decision (30-27 30-27 30-27)
Bantamweight: Velimurad Alkhasov beat Nicholas Hwende via unanimous decision (30-27 30-27 30-27)
Super Lightweight: Abbas Khan beat Omar Hussein via unanimous decision (30-27 30-27 30-27)
Super Lightweight: Mahmoud Sebie beat Oussama Zeidi via submission (rear-naked choke) – 1:12s – Round 1
Lightweight: Ramazan Gitinov beat Abderrahman Errachidy via submission (D’Arce choke) – 1:55s – Round 1
Super Lightweight: Khamzat Maaev beat Elias Farah via KO – 41s – Round 1
Flyweight: Maysara Mohamed beat Ruel Panales via KO – 1:25s – Round 1
Bantamweight: Abdullah AlYaqoob beat Kenneth Maningat via TKO (due to strikes) – 3:15s – Round 2
