The main event for BRAVE CF 74, the promotion’s debut in France, which takes place on September 7, will see Amin Ayoub and Lucas Martins in a lightweight fight for the ages.

In less than two months, BRAVE Combat Federation will be making its way to Nantes, France for a blockbuster event. We’ll see a parade of high profile match-ups take place, but few are quite as important as the one that will headline the card.

Amin Ayoub and Lucas Martins are both former BRAVE CF lightweight champions. They have been to the top of the mountain and know what it feels like to hold the gold. Now, they’re on a path to get back there, and both will see this as a huge opportunity to take that next step.

Ayoub is set to fight in front of his hometown fans and as one of the biggest stars in French mixed martial arts, there will be a certain expectation on his shoulders. With 12 stoppages to his name, though, we don’t think he’ll shy away from the pressure.

As for Martins, 86% of his victories inside the cage have come via stoppage. Thirteen of those have been knockouts or TKOs, but with five coming by way of submission, it’s safe to say that he isn’t afraid to take this one to the ground and really push his opponent to the limit.

In terms of the rankings, this pits #1 against #5 – but there’s so much more to this tale than just the numbers. This is about reminding the world why they’re seen as such valuable assets in BRAVE CF and why they shouldn’t be written off in the championship conversation.

This is how you plot your route back to the promised land, and with Abdisalam Kubanychbek waiting patiently, you can bet the next few months are about to get very interesting at lightweight.