After war with Al-Selawe, Abdoul remains undefeated and conquers first world title

Abdoul Abdouraguimov had the biggest fight of his career in front of him against Brave Welterweight world champion Jarrah Al-Selawe, in the main event of Brave 23. And it was indeed his greatest test, as the French-Russian submission machine was on the verge of being knocked out in the later rounds, only to hold on and guarantee a famous victory – and the Welterweight world title.

Abdouraguimov started well, with his usual approach of getting the fight to the ground and immediately searching for submissions. He was able to transition to back control several times in the first two rounds, but Al-Selawe always found a way to get back up and defend chokes and further transitions.

As the fight progressed, however, the champion picked up his pace, and the challenger seemed to not be able to keep up. Abdoul’s cardio almost betrayed him, but his heart didn’t.

Al-Selawe also showed plenty of heart as he resisted Abdoul’s attacks and started to showcase why he’s one of the best fighters in the world, with a courageous performance in the last rounds.

In the fourth round, Jarrah lost a point for an illegal blow to the back of the head, which proved the difference maker, as the fight would be a majority draw otherwise. In this case, Jarrah would remain at the helm of the Welterweight division as draws favor the defending champions in mixed martial arts.

Two judges eventually gave the fight to Abdouraguimov, who remains undefeated, but no longer untested, as the new Brave Welterweight world champion moves to 10-0 as a professional.