Murtaza Talha (©BRAVE Combat Federation)

Murtaza Talha, 26, of Al-Muharraq, Bahrain made his BRAVE Combat Federation debut in triumphant fashion at “BRAVE CF 45” at the Bahrain National Stadium in East Riffa, Bahrain on November 19, 2020. It was also his professional mixed martial arts debut.

A light heavyweight athlete, Talha fought Vadim Litvin, 26, of Minsk, Belarus at a catch weight of 97kg. The bout began with heavy pressure from the Bahraini contender which his Belarusian opponent dealt with his long range.

However, Talha went for his first take down attempt in the opening minutes in a bid to take control of the fight. After prolonged exchanges in the clinch, which he was able to dominate, he finally secured a take down off a single leg.

After a brief separation, Murtaza got his second take down and closed out a dominant first round. In the second round, which started with striking exchanges, Litvin landed a strong leg kick but his Bahraini opponent returned with a punch to the head that connected and followed up with a successful takedown attempt putting him in the same favorable position which gave abundant success in the first round.

The night went from bad to worse for Litvin as Murtaza progressed to a more dominant ground position on the ground. It was not long until the Belarusian contender got locked in a tight rear naked choke which he had no hope of escaping and the tap ensued.

Referee Declan Larkin put a stop to the catchweight bout after 3 minutes in the second round. Talha submitted Litvin via rear-naked choke.

This comes after Talha conquered two world titles under the IMMAF banner and left  the amateur ranks as the number one ranked fighter in the light heavyweight class as well as the number six pound-for-pound amateur athlete. The dominant victory hinted at what is yet to come from the Bahraini MMA fighter, who is heralded as a generational talent by many.