Arab MMA icon Jarrah Al-Silawi relishes ‘new beginning’ at Brave CF 80

AMMAN: Jarrah Al-Silawi, “The Jordanian Lion,” is returning to Brave CF after a stint with the Professional Fighters League in the US.

Al-Silawi, considered a pioneer of Arab mixed martial arts, was a double-division world champion with Brave CF before his departure for the PFL.

After three wins and three losses during his PFL stint, the 31-year-old is now returning at Brave CF 80 to face Nenad Avramovic in the co-main event on Dec. 15 at Khalifa Sports City Arena in Isa Town, Bahrain.

In an interview with Arab News, Al-Silawi said: “It’s a long time in-between bouts with the PFL, and I have a great relationship with Brave CF. I thought it’d be a good opportunity to compete again in front of my people and my crowd, and it’s something I look forward to.”

The fighter initially had a meteoric rise through the rankings in Brave, but is now experiencing, for the first time, a substantial period of adversity. He believes he has made the adjustments to embark on another successful title run.

“I’ve spent a lot of time looking at the things that I did wrong in the last few bouts. I’ve been working on getting better,” Al-Silawi explained. “I’ve worked on improving my technique, and I feel like I’m on a different level. At this point, I feel like I’ve improved significantly, and I look forward to showing that and this coming up.”

Reflecting on his missed opportunity against undefeated UFC star Khamzat Chimaev in 2020, Al-Silawi remains confident in his abilities. “I still feel that my game is bad for wrestlers. They typically don’t like to fight me. I’m very good at defending takedowns and I like to pressure with my striking. I still believe that I would have beaten him in that fight.”

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