MMA News: Sean Santella Steps Up For BRAVE CF 55 Main Event; Promotion President Relieved

KEY POINTS

BRAVE CF president Mohammed Shahid applauds Sean Santella for stepping up to fight Ali Bagautinov on short notice
Jose Torres was originally scheduled to face Bagautinov but pulled out due to weight-making concerns
The winner of the Bagautinov-Santella fight will face Velimurad Alkhasov in the tournament finals

Bahrain-based BRAVE Combat Federation is set to return to Russia this weekend, and the promotion breathed a sigh of relief just when things looked to be falling apart.

American flyweight Jose “Shorty” Torres was set to face Russia’s very own Ali Bagautinov in the main event, but he decided to pull out at the last minute due to his inability to make the contracted weight limit for the bout with less than 24 hours to go before the official weigh-ins.

The sudden turn of events had put the BRAVE CF Flyweight World Title Tournament in danger as the fight between Bagautinov and Torres was the last remaining fight in the semis.

Luckily enough, Sean “Shorty Rock” Santella stepped up to the plate and agreed to fight Bagautinov in place of his countryman.

BRAVE CF president Mohammed “The Hawk” Shahid commended Santella’s acceptance of the fight on such short notice.

"It was a crazy 24 hours. Jose 'Shorty' Torres is out of the main event and the flyweight tournament. If anyone could have stepped up, it was Sean Santella and he did step up last night. Ali Bagautinov, like a true champion, is ready for it all," said Shahid.

Santella had already been booked for the undercard of BRAVE CF 55 against Rizvan Abuev, so the circumstances for the Bahrain-based promotion and the American standout could not have been any better.

Torres and Santella met in the cage in the quarterfinals of the tournament that ended in a mood-killing majority draw.

The rematch was set for BRAVE CF 49 in March of this year, but Santella suffered an injury prior to the bout and Torres defeated replacement opponent Blaine O’Driscoll via unanimous decision.

The winner between Bagautinov and Santella’s main event clash will be facing heavily-touted Russian talent Velimurad Alkhasov.

“It's just the perfect fit. 'Shorty' may have pulled out, but Sean Santella stepped in to be in a position he never lost in the first place. The winner between Sean and Ali will face Velimurad in the finals. It's BJJ versus Russian Sambo. This is USA versus Russia, and the main event will continue," Shahid stated.