Exclusive: BRAVE CF President Talks About The State Of MMA ‘The Industry Needs A Complete Reform’
BRAVE CF is gearing up this week to celebrate its 50th event. BRAVE CF 50 will take place on Thursday, April 1, inside Bahrain’s Arad Fort and features a pair of title fights in the main and co-main events.
For a company that only launched in 2016, it is an impressive achievement, especially when you factor in that BRAVE CF has staged events on five continents and 21 different countries. One of the founding goals of the promotion was to help transform MMA into a fully-fledged globally recognized sport, with national bodies working together to create pathways for MMA to progress.
A reshaping of the structure of the sport is no small feat. However, BRAVE CF President Mohammad Shahid feels that not only is it achievable, but it is also vital if MMA wishes to continue expanding in the future.
“The industry needs a complete reform. We are in the event business focused on revenue per event, no different from a concert or anything else. With BRAVE CF, our goal is to bring it to the sports business. Similar to football, cricket, basketball,” Shahid said, speaking to LowkickMMA.
” It’s not easy, and any sport is too big for one country, one person, or one company to handle. If it could be, then you can know there is a big hole in the structure, and it will end up dead in the next 10 or 15 years waiting for some superstar to come and save us.
” We need to change it now, and we have the format. We need to bring the MMA industry together to open their eyes and see the need for it and start the work together, and it will create opportunities for athletes to business opportunities for all who love MMA.”
BRAVE CF has already started this transformation by creating an extensive scouting network throughout the world. The company has over 70 experts working to locate new talent, a staggering number when considering that BRAVE CF did not even exist five years ago.
The following 12-months look set to be pivotal for BRAVE CF. The promotion has recently partnered with MMAON, a company working to help enhance the viewing experience for fans through digital tools. It will also be looking to work and collaborate with other MMA stakeholders to help advance the sport.
“In the next year, it’s time to let the industry of MMA enter the true sports business and create the global ecosystem in at least three continents and six countries, ” Shahid explained.
“The global ecosystem [is a] sports development program that allows a boy with a dream to be a fighter, one that has a national structure that will allow him to reach the top of the food chain and become a national and global star if he has the talent.
“This ecosystem will require a global regulation body and local promotions, and national federations to unite to be able to take this next step in sport and bring the private sectors to invest in MMA in their countries more than just one brand. Finally, to showcase the sport’s values, MMA can provide a nation,”
BRAVE CF is not the only MMA promotion looking to establish itself on the world stage. Still, it is one of the few companies openly looking into what needs to happen for MMA to see itself more in the sports business and less in the event business.Time will tell if Shahid succeeds in his aim or not, but it will certainly be an interesting ride for fans to follow.
