The thrill of a major, global event is often in the build-up and pre-match excitement. In the fight world, it’s all about the pre-fight hype and tension between fighters and for Brave 2: Dynasty this is about to reach its peak on Thursday at the official weigh-ins.
All 20 fighters, representing 15 nations, will gather at Orange Suites in Bahrain for the weigh-ins for this seminal event before they go head-to-head with their foes.
Representing Bahrain, the local people can come and support their golden boy Hamza Kooheji as he faces off against Filipino adversary Jeremy Pacatiw. Troy Bantiag is also representing the Philippines, whose supporters turned out in mass for the inaugural Brave 1 show.
Bantiag has a tricky opponent who will gather interest from the Indian community. Indian MMA has been growing in popularity, and they will be delighted to have one of their biggest prospects Gurdarshan Mangat tipping the scales on Thursday ahead of his battle with the tough Filipino.
There is no bad blood between the two men in Friday’s main event, but you can guarantee Dagestan’s Gadzhimusa Gaziev and England’s Carl Booth will be staring into each-other’s eyes with a fierce intensity and bad intentions.
They are big, powerful athletes who love nothing more than removing another man from their consciousness, should they be standing across the cage in front of them. They will both be looking for a knockout win, and the face-to-face showdown on Thursday should be electric.
This face-off is a defining moment and often has hilarious results, when the tension boils over into hysteria and chaos. Some fighters are so ready to fight – they decide to fight there and then, while some start running their mouths and talking some proverbial trash, others remain very calm and focused as they gaze carefully into the eyes of their foes.
It’s often a great indication of how a fighter is feeling ahead of the fight and it’s a part of the whole event which can’t be missed.
The official weigh-ins take place at the Orange Suites in Bahrain on Thursday ahead of the big show on Friday.
You can still get tickets at www.bravefights.com, Virgin Megastore and at all SADAD kiosks throughout Bahrain.