Filipino fight fans may not have to wait much longer to see Drex Zamboanga step inside the BRAVE Combat Federation cage.
A reliable source within the Bahrain-based mixed martial arts promotion has confirmed to Tiebreaker Times that the 31-year-old standout from Quezon City is ready to make his maiden appearance at BRAVE CF 95, scheduled for May 31 at the Pabellón Santiago Martín in Tenerife, Spain.
Zamboanga will face a formidable test in his first outing, squaring off against unbeaten Bahraini prospect Ramazan Gitinov in a three-round lightweight clash.
The elder brother of ONE Women’s Atomweight MMA World Champion Denice Zamboanga is widely regarded as one of the Philippines’ top homegrown talents.
Boasting a 14-6 record with eight finishes, “T-Rex” first made waves as the URCC bantamweight champion, claiming the vacant title with a stoppage win over veteran Rex De Lara in September 2017.
He successfully defended the belt once, beating South Korea’s Seung Hyun Cho via doctor’s stoppage in April 2019.
(C) ONEFC.com
Zamboanga later transitioned to ONE Championship, where he compiled a 2-1 record. He secured wins over Rahul Raju and Team Lakay’s Adonis Sevilleno before dropping a split decision to Chen Rui at ONE Friday Fights 19 in June 2023.
Now, he’s preparing for a fresh start in BRAVE CF — but his debut comes with a tough challenge.
Gitinov, a rising star with a flawless 5-0 record, has finished all of his opponents and already authored three wins under the BRAVE CF banner. His latest victory came in May 2024 when he submitted Prince Lolia with an arm-triangle choke in the opening round.
For Zamboanga, a win over an undefeated No. 3-ranked contender like Gitinov would send a strong message to the lightweight division — a stacked weight class that houses the likes of divisional titleholder Abdisalam Kubanychbek, Raul Tutarauli, and Kamil Magomedov.
With a high-stakes debut ahead, all eyes will be on Zamboanga as he looks to make a statement in Spain.
