against Georgian powerhouse Raul Tutarauli. The two will clash in the main event of BRAVE CF 87, taking place in Alkmaar, Netherlands, on September 22.
Kubanychbek, who debuted in BRAVE CF back in 2019, has been nothing short of unstoppable. His rise to the top began with a stunning first-round finish and continued with dominant wins over tough challengers like Vagif Askerov, Jahongir Saidjamolov, and Rolando Dy. His brutal victory over Dy, where the Filipino veteran quit on the stool, sent shockwaves through the Lightweight division and further solidified Kubanychbek's fearsome reputation.
After a no-contest bout against Cleiton Silva, Kubanychbek claimed the interim Lightweight title by defeating Olzhas Eskaraev. He became the undisputed champion with a victory over Kamil Magomedov and later scored another win against former champ Lucas Martins. However, since Martins missed weight, the fight was non-title, making Kubanychbek's battle against Raul Tutarauli his first true title defense.
Raul Tutarauli poses a serious threat to Kubanychbek's reign. The Georgian fighter is on a three-fight win streak and has a staggering 22 stoppage wins under his belt, almost double the number of the current champ. As a former two-division champion and top-ranked fighter across nine different rankings, Tutarauli's credentials make him Kubanychbek’s toughest challenge to date.
Adding to the pressure, Kubanychbek aims to break BRAVE CF's notorious Lightweight title defense curse—no champion has successfully defended the belt yet. A victory over Raul would solidify Kubanychbek's claim as BRAVE CF’s most dominant champion and possibly the greatest fighter in the organization’s history.