The sport of mixed martial arts was initially built on a few questions – who is the best fighter in the world, regardless of anything? Would technique suffice against strength or a bigger opponent would be able to overcome his smaller foe, even though he wasn’t as technical? Openweight tournaments were then designed to try and answer that question, but the introduction of weight classes, as well as the modernization of the sport, seemed to end the idea and the search for those questions.
Last year, BRAVE Combat Federation made the decision to bring back open weight tournaments by introducing the KHK World Championships, a one-night, four-men bracket that would determine the biggest and baddest man on the planet. Athletes from all over the world, regardless if they had a link with a promotion or not, were invited to join.
Hundreds of fighters, from all weight-classes, applied, but only four were chosen – one Heavyweight, two Light Heavyweights, and one Middleweight battled it out in historic fashion during BRAVE CF 29, which took place in November of 2019 in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
In the end, undefeated Light Heavyweight Azamat Murzakanov took the crown and became the first-ever provisional owner of the KHK belt, designed with 6.2 kg of gold. “The Professional” also won a US$100,000 check.
The KHK World Championships seem to have resonated across the mixed martial arts world. Bellator MMA has hinted at the idea of putting together an open weight tournament of its own, showing that BRAVE CF has become a trend-setter in mixed martial arts.
Fight Game Asia 