In this exclusive conversation with the Power Up City team, Mohammed Shahid speaks candidly about the evolution of Brave Combat Federation and the values that shaped its rise. He shares lessons drawn from his own journey. From his early struggles as a fighter to his mission of creating a global system that empowers athletes, Shahid’s story is one of vision, conviction, and transformation — both personal and professional.
Courageous Beginnings
In the early days of mixed martial arts in Bahrain, opportunity wasn’t handed to anyone easily. For Mohammed Shahid, that meant flying to Thailand just to find fights, learning from scratch, and teaching himself through every bout and bruised lesson.
“There were no competitions in the region,” Shahid recalls. “So I had to fly to Thailand to compete and it was not MMA, it was Muay Thai. It’s easier to get a weekly fight to gain knowledge. When I came back, I opened Bahrain’s first MMA gym and then started teaching and competing.”
His journey began from persistence.With limited resources, he trained, taught, and saved just enough to fund his next flight and had one fight at a time. What he didn’t realize then was that his pursuit would lay the foundation for something far bigger. The rise of a movement that would eventually make Bahrain a global name in combat sports.
“There's only one name we could give this organization. They said it has to be Brave. And there's nothing else.”
Brave or Reckless?
“There’s only one name we could give this organization. They said it has to be Brave. And there’s nothing else.”
Courage, Shahid says, is at the heart of everything he does but courage without preparation is disruption. “If you don’t have the opportunity, go find it and prepare for it,” he says. “That’s the difference between being brave and being reckless.”
That mindset shaped his path as a fighter and ignited his passion for the sport itself.
Shahid found an opportunity when he met His Highness Sheikh Khalid (bin Hamad Al Khalifa) at a Desert Force event in 2014. “He knows so much about Mixed Martial Arts, not as a fan, but he knows the inside out of the sport itself. That changed my mind.” His Highness raised a significant question for MMA in Bahrain at that time, “How can we give 200,000 athletes the same opportunities we gave to twenty?”
His Highness wanted to build a team with the purpose of “reforming the system to give fighters a structure, a lifestyle and a future.”
Despite knowing the obstacles that would come with it, Shahid took the challenge, “It’s not an easy task to create an organization. We know that it takes a lot, finance and everything else added to it.” In preparation, “We did our homework, we studied and went through the industry really well”. Shahid recalled, ”We didn’t know what the result would be. And I think everything came in together at the right time.”
True enough, since its founding in 2016, Brave Combat Federation has grown into one of the top MMA organizations in the world, hosting events across continents and building a global network that connects fighters, coaches, and communities.
Reaching Brave 100
This year marks a milestone for Brave Combat Federation — its 100th global event, set to unfold in Manama, Bahrain. For Shahid,it’s a celebration of growth and purpose fulfilled.
As Brave reached this landmark moment, Shahid reflected, “It started with a reform to change the system of Combat Sports and bring MMA into the sports business model where you have the franchises, you have the teams, you have a governing body to govern the whole industry.”
Never doubting this possibility, he is proud to see young Bahraini athletes carrying the confidence that didn’t exist then. “They look like they’re going to dominate every single athlete in front of them.” “ You can see a different aura in their energy now.”
Among the night’s must-watch bouts mirrors Bahrain’s own MMA journey, Hamza Kooheji’s title fight.
Fans are also buzzing about the long-awaited showdown between Mohammed Mokaev and Gerard Burns. This matchup is rich with rivalry, skill, and narrative. Mokaev, returning full circle to Brave after a perfect run, is fighting for the flyweight title in a division that has never crowned a champion in the organization’s history.
Consistent Community Contribution
While Brave grew on the world stage, Shahid and his team never lost sight of the community that built them. Over the years, Brave has supported different initiatives, including programs for children with special needs.
“One of the most beautiful things we did,” he recalls, “was during Combat Week, when we invited children with special needs to train alongside our national team. Their teachers said they saw real physical and emotional improvement.”
He smiles, recalling one young participant who pointed to a poster of His Highness Sheikh Khalid and said, ‘I want to fight him.’
What began as an innocent challenge turned into a heartwarming moment that captured the spirit of Brave. “His Highness sent a video saying, ‘I accept your challenge,’ and during the opening ceremony of the World Championship, that child walked into the cage and lived his dream,” Shahid says. “It was unforgettable.”
Inclusion doesn’t stop there. Shahid is also a firm believer that women belong at the center of MMA’s growth, as athletes, fans, and equal contributors to the sport’s global evolution.
“People often think MMA is a male sport,” he says. “But 47% of combat sports viewership comes from women, no other sport can say that.”
He points to icons like Ronda Rousey, who once rivaled Floyd Mayweather in pay-per-view sales and global impact, as proof that the sport offers true fairness. “In MMA, a woman can break the same records a man can. The fastest knockout, whether male or female, can happen in seconds. That’s equality of opportunity.”
Shahid agrees that MMA in Bahrain has grown and reached young athletes, women, or children with special needs, everyone.
Vision for the Youth
When asked for his message for the young generation. Shahid’s advice is firm,
“There’s no shortcut. Be committed, be consistent, have discipline, and put in the work,” he says. “Those values are the real victory.”
He points to Hamza Kooheji, Bahrain’s top MMA fighter, as proof of that principle. “Hamza said something that stuck with me, winning or losing the title doesn’t matter. What matters is that for ten years, nothing changed in his discipline. That’s his real success.”
"There’s no shortcut. Be committed, be consistent, have discipline, and put in the work. Those values are the real victory.”
Beyond the Octagon
Behind the structure and strategy, Mohammed Shahid remains, at heart, a lifelong athlete and a lover of sport in all its forms. His work with KHK Sports has exposed him to many sports, from e-sports and cricket to rowing but his heart is with football and MMA.
He laughs when asked how he balances them. “I’m involved in many sports as part of my job,” he says. “But from the heart? I would say that football is that high school girlfriend, and ‘wife’ is MMA now.”
Football, he explains, was his first love. It is the sport that shaped his sense of teamwork and competition. MMA, on the other hand, became a lifelong commitment. “When I miss a football match, it hurts,” he admits. “But when I’m at a Brave or UFC event, I don’t feel that — because I’m where I’m meant to be.”
It’s this blend of heart and discipline that defines Shahid’s personality, two sides of the same that drives excellence.
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