MMA News: Manjit Kolekar impresses on Brave CF debut with strong performance

Bahrain based global MMA promotion, Brave Combat Federation recently hosted its 30th Mixed Martial Arts event in Hyderabad, India. This was the 3rd time the promotion hosted such an event in India and the second time in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad.

Brave CF 30 showcased a well-stacked fight card with 13 fights for the Indian fight fans. The card featured some of the top Indian talents and also several big names among Brave CF's international roster.

In the main event, Team Lakay star Stephen Loman defended the Brave CF Bantam Weight title against Tristar Gym fighter Louie Sanoudakis. The Hyderabad crowd also got to witness its homegrown star Kantharaj Agasa (11-2) climbing back to the win column. He had his first professional defeat exactly a year back in the Gachibowli stadium.

Kantharaj dedicated this massive victory to the Bangalore based Team ICSA ( Indian Combat Sports Academy ) where he trained ahead of this fight in a moving post-fight speech.

Manjit Kolekar, another fighter to have fought from the ICSA Bangalore camp put up a brilliant display before the Brave CF President Mohammad 'The Hawk' Shahid who was present at the cage side along with thousands of Brave CF fans.

An Invicta FC veteran and arguably the best female MMA fighter in India, Manjit faced Samin Beik of Italy in Brave CF 30. The closely contested three-round fight ended after the 2nd round via doctor's stoppage after Manjit started bleeding profusely due to a cut above her eyebrow.

According to the official scorecard of Brave CF, the 1st round was won by Samin and the 2nd round by Manjit. The latter was making a strong comeback when the doctor decided to stop the fight considering the safety of the fighter.

This decision was not welcomed by the passionate Indian fight fans at the Gachibowli stadium who were on their feet after they witnessed a bloodied Manjit battling overwhelming odds to put up a valiant effort against a foreign opponent.

The silver lining is that Manjit is in her prime and with the super charismatic Coach Jitesh Banjan and Team ICSA in her corner, she is an unstoppable force in Indian MMA and a great asset for the fast-expanding Brave CF women's roster.

The heart Manjit showed earned her a lot of respect from the fight fans watching the show, including Brave CF president Mohammed Shahid. There are also talks inside the promotion that Brave CF may be interested to sign Manjit for a multi-fight contract.

India is budding MMA market and Manjit is one of the best MMA fighters to come out of the nation. She has the potential to be one of the biggest stars in India. Manjit signing with a truly global MMA promotion like Brave CF can catalyze the popularity of the sport in India and can bring Indian MMA to a better position at the global MMA map.