Ali “Puncher King” Bagautinov of Russia and Jose “Shorty” Torres of the United States will have the opportunity to move closer to their lifelong goal of adding the words “World Champion” to their impressive mixed martial arts resumes on November 6, 2021.

Both men are scheduled to square off against each other in the last semi final encounter of the BRAVE CF Flyweight World Title Tournament, which serves as the headliner of “BRAVE CF 55” set to take place in Rostov-on-Don, Russia in association with Pro FC. 

Throughout his professional career spanning nearly 12 years, Bagautinov has pretty much done it all in the sport. He has accomplished everything there is to accomplish both at the national and regional levels, including being a three-time Sambo World Champion. 

A Russian MMA legend, Bagautinov holds a record of 21-7-0 with five wins by KO/TKO and four wins by submission. As he is the number one ranked Flyweight in Russia and former Flyweight title contender in America.

However, a date with destiny comes with a heavy price tag as Bagautinov needs to go through Torres in order to punch a ticket to the finals against the highly touted Velimurad Alkhasov and get the opportunity to add an MMA World Title to his shelf of accolades. 

Like Bagautinov, being a champion has been associated with Torres ever since he first strapped on four-ounce gloves as a mixed martial artist. Hailing from Chicago, Illinois, USA, the American fighter started to imbibe a winning culture during his run in the amateur ranks, where he amassed an impressive 25-1 standing, losing only his first 1st amateur bout. 

Torres capped off his stint in the amateurs by winning the 135-pound category at the 2015 IMMAF World Championships, becoming a two-time IMMAF World Champion. He carried over the same kind of success at the professional level, compiling a 10-1 record with four victories by knockout and two via submission and an impressive 33 undefeated fight streak. 

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Also, Torres captured belts in both the flyweight and bantamweight divisions of a North American promotion before getting a chance to strut his wares on the global stage. Now, the chance of becoming BRAVE CF’s first-ever Flyweight World Champion is within striking distance.

According to the latest fan poll conducted on the organization’s official website, 70 percent of the fans believe that the American dynamo will have his hand raised in triumph against Bagautinov in Rostov-on-Don this weekend. The fight has high stakes for the “Puncher King” who is defending not only his honor, but the legacy of Russian MMA against outsider Torres on his homeland this weekend. 

“BRAVE CF 55” will be broadcast live and free on BRAVE CF TV (bravecftv.com) at 9:00AM EST.

BRAVE CF was founded on September 23, 2016 by Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa. Among its rivals as the top MMA promotions in the world are the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Bellator MMA, Professional Fighters League and ONE Championship.

The reigning strawweight champion of ONE Championship is Joshua “The Passion” Pacio, 25, of Baguio City, Philippines. His Team Lakay teammates and fellow ONE Championship athletes Stephen “The Sniper” Loman, 27, and Jeremy “The Juggernaut” Pacatiw, 24, are former BRAVE CF athletes.