Going face-to-face: Title fighters face off before BRAVE 57 in Bahrain

The four men involved in the two most important bouts of BRAVE CF 57 have made sure the last faceoffs before fight night were memorable ones.

After making weight earlier in the day, Hamza Kooheji and Brad Katona shared the most tense moment of the event as fans packed the halls of Oasis Mall Juffair to get a last glimpse of their favorite fighters before fight night in Bahrain.

Kooheji and Katona both weighed in under the bantamweight championship limit for their main event fight. The pair will do battle for the vacant 135-pound title, and their faceoff reflected the high stakes at play, with neither man wanting to be the first to look away. They spoke briefly and the tension was palpable.

In the co-main event, Mohammad Fakhreddine and Mohamed Said Maalem also had a very intense staredown, with both men refusing to look away and briefly facing off for a second time before being whisked away from the stage.

BRAVE CF 57 takes place Friday at the Khalifa Sports City Arena with three world titles on the line and 15 nations represented.

In the official weigh-ins earlier, Nursulton Ruziboev didn’t make the Super Welterweight limit and, after refusing to be deducted 15 percent of his fight purse, was removed from the card. As a result, the fight card now features 12 bouts.

Omar Emad also failed to hit his contracted weight and has forfeited part of his purse to Abdullah Al-Yaqoob. He will also have to weigh in at 68kg on the morning of fight day.