Khabib Nurmagomedov taught Hamza Kooheji one extremely important lesson ahead of BRAVE CF 100

EXCLUSIVE: Hamza Kooheji learned a lot from Khabib Nurmagomedov during their time as teammates.

On Friday night, the Bahraini hero will challenge Borislav Nikolic for the bantamweight championship in an epic clash at BRAVE CF 100.

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Khabib Nurmagomedov changed Hamza Kooheji’s life

Hamza Kooheji is a talented fighter who’s dazzled BRAVE CF fans with his tremendous skills and unrelenting will to win.

However, getting to the top requires more than just skill, with hard work playing a paramount role in making your dreams come true. And Kooheji learned just how valuable this is when he met Khabib Nurmagomedov.

In an exclusive interview with Sporf, the BRAVE CF title challenger explained: “I met him in 2015 or 2016, when KHK started. I remember the first time I met him, he arrived at the airport late at night. I said to him, ‘Let’s go eat’, and he told me, ‘You do not deserve to eat if you’ve not done any training’. That stuck with me. I learned a lot from him, like mental things that helped me grow in my career.”

Hamza Kooheji’s road to BRAVE CF 100

Kooheji has achieved everything he ever could’ve asked for in his mixed martial arts career, except for one thing — winning the BRAVE CF title.

In a testament to his ferocious fighting heart, despite losses on fight night and severe injuries in training, the warrior has never given up on his goal.

Having competed on the promotion’s very first card, it almost feels like destiny for Kooheji, who’s ready to finally wrap that belt around his waist.

He enthused: “It’s been a crazy journey from BRAVE CF 1 to BRAVE CF 100. It’s been a long road, with a lot of obstacles. I’m grateful that I’ve overcome everything and I’m here today. It’s my time to win the belt. I lost in BRAVE in 2022 for the belt in a very close fight. But I believe that God postponed the victory to make it taste better and be more meaningful.”

UK fight fans can watch BRAVE CF 100 live on talkSPORT MMA’s YouTube channel.

Featured Image Credit: Getty / James Sweetnam