Stephen “The Sniper” Loman has spent years carrying the name of the Cordillera far beyond the mountains of northern Luzon.
Born into the Ifugao community and shaped by the highlands that rise to nearly 2,928 meters, the Filipino hard-hitter grew up far from the city lights of Metro Manila.
The rugged terrain helped forge the fighter he is today, instilling resilience through adversity, composure under pressure, and an instinctive refusal to back down.
Now, Loman will bring that warrior ethos to a place where combatants once faced one another before roaring crowds.
On September 5, he returns to BRAVE Combat Federation for the first time in five years, facing Georgian rising star Lasha Abramishvili in the co-main event of BRAVE CF 108 at the iconic Pula Arena in Croatia.
It will be Loman’s first appearance in Croatia and the first time a Cordilleran fighter competes inside the ancient amphitheater.
“I’m very excited to fight in Croatia for the first time. I’ve competed in many countries throughout my career, but this will be a completely different experience. Competing in a location with so much history makes this opportunity even more special,” Loman said.
His career has already taken him across continents and into some of the sport’s most prominent venues, including the Singapore Indoor Stadium, Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in India, Mall of Asia Arena in the Philippines, SSE Arena in Northern Ireland, and Khalifa Sports City Arena in Bahrain.
Pula Arena, however, offers a backdrop unlike any he has encountered.
Its history stretches back nearly two millennia. A wooden structure first occupied the site during the reign of Emperor Augustus before the monumental stone amphitheater was developed during the Flavian dynasty in the first century CE under Emperors Vespasian and Titus.
The structure became a stage for gladiatorial contests and major public gatherings, drawing immense crowds to spectacles that would become part of Roman history.
Much of that grandeur remains.
Pula Arena is one of the best-preserved Roman amphitheaters in the world, with its limestone exterior, four side towers, and three classical architectural orders remarkably intact. It remains one of Croatia’s most celebrated landmarks and a striking reminder of an era when gladiators entered the arena with thousands of eyes fixed upon them.
At BRAVE CF 108, Loman will cross that threshold under the rules of modern mixed martial arts.
“I know the history of Pula Arena, and that makes this fight even more meaningful. Warriors fought here centuries ago, and now I have the chance to compete in the same place in a different era. I want to honor that history by giving the fans a performance they will remember,” Loman said.
The significance of the occasion reaches far beyond the amphitheater.
The Cordillera is home to several distinct Indigenous groups, including the Ifugao, Kalinga, Bontoc, Ibaloi, Kankanaey, and Isneg. While each community has its own language, customs, and traditions, their histories are bound by a fierce determination to protect their ancestral domains.
For more than 300 years, Cordilleran communities resisted Spanish colonization, defending their ancestral lands and gold-rich territories from outside control. The formidable highlands became a natural bastion, helping preserve their independence long after much of the Philippines had fallen under Spanish rule.
Loman is proudly Ifugao. Now based in Baguio City, he has carried that identity from the highlands to the international stage while building a legacy of his own.
“The Sniper” became the inaugural BRAVE CF Bantamweight World Champion and successfully defended his crown four times during a remarkable 1,179-day reign.
After five years away, Loman will reunite with BRAVE CF as one of its pioneering figures, bringing the character of his homeland into a setting steeped in the memory of warriors from another age.
“I’m proud to be a Cordilleran. Wherever I compete, I carry my people and my heritage with me. Our ancestors were fiercely independent, and they protected their land and way of life for generations,” he said.
“That determination is part of me, and I want to show the world what a Cordilleran warrior is all about.”
Pula Arena has endured for centuries, preserving the memory of those who once entered its gates to battle.
On September 5, Loman will walk through those same gates carrying the pride of the Cordillera and the opportunity to etch his name into the story of one of the world’s most historic arenas.
