The Philippines’ MMA scene has enjoyed a wildly successful year thus far, and 20-year-old prospect Ian Paul Lora hopes to join his peers with an outstanding performance at BRAVE CF 98 on September 19.
Ian Paul Lora Set for International MMA Debut at BRAVE CF 98
Happening at the Henan TV Studio 8 in Zhengzhou, China, the 20-year-old will be squaring off against fellow promotional debutant Owais Yaqoob in a lightweight bout (155 pounds) on the undercard of BRAVE CF’s third event in China.
Lora has made a name for himself in the grassroots MMA scene after notching two superb finishes in three victories — a nine-second knockout of Lolo Cruz this past May at URCC: Kaogma Collision 2 and an ankle lock tap-out win against Juvanie Bacus in August of last year.
The Lion’s Den MMA Academy product’s blistering one-punch knockout of Cruz immediately put him on the radar of hardcore Filipino combat sports fans, with many believing that it was a sign of a soon-to-be must-watch athlete.
While “Choco” is riding the high of an unblemished 3-0 record, he cannot afford to overlook what Yaqoob brings to the table.
After dropping his pro debut via submission back in March 2023, Yaqoob took a nearly year-long break to hone his craft and further round out his skill sets. His efforts bore fruit in March of the following year with an impressive unanimous decision win against Mohammad Azim Mokhlis.
The Indian rising star followed this outing with two more wins, the most recent being a second-round TKO of Shetty Pratik Sadashiv this past April.
If the Daraga, Albay native can deliver a statement-making victory over Yaqoob, it should open up more opportunities for him in the Bahrain-based combat sports promotion.
Headlining BRAVE CF98 is the BRAVE CF Interim Featherweight World Championship tilt between top-ranked Omar Solomanov and Kazakh knockout artist, No. 2-ranked Rauan Bekbolat, who submitted the former via guillotine choke when they crossed paths in August 2024.
Fans can catch the nine-bout card live via watch.bravecftv.com starting at 8:30 PM.
