{"id":48260,"date":"2022-03-12T19:00:56","date_gmt":"2022-03-12T19:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jazairhope.org\/?p=48260"},"modified":"2022-03-11T20:08:49","modified_gmt":"2022-03-11T20:08:49","slug":"a-chance-for-the-pride-of-algeria-to-shine-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jazairhope.org\/en\/a-chance-for-the-pride-of-algeria-to-shine-again\/","title":{"rendered":"A chance for \u2019The Pride of Algeria\u2019 to shine again"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cape Town \u2014 Mohamed \u2018L\u2019Ambiance\u2019 Said Maalem will be hoping that his next trip home won\u2019t be marred with controversy and heartbreak.<\/p>\n

Despite enjoying a beautiful experience on his last visit to Algeria, Said Maalem\u2019s moment was unfortunately brought to a grinding halt after news that his win over Mohammad \u201cThe Latest\u201d Fakhreddine for the vacant light heavyweight championship at Brave CF52 was overturned.<\/p>\n

Said Maalem was informed that the Italian Federation of Grappling and Mixed Martial Arts \u2014 the sanctioning body tasked to supervise the vacant championship bout \u2014 decided to overturn the outcome of the match following a thorough investigation.<\/p>\n

The result of the fight originally had Said Maalem winning by stoppage in the first round, however, it was found that there were illegal strikes made by Said Maalem on Fakhreddine in the final sequence, something that contributed to the stoppage of the match in the fourth minute of round one which took place in August last year.<\/p>\n

Said Maalem (11-3) stated that \u2014 despite the disappointing news \u2014 he will always cherish that homecoming.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter my victory against Fakhreddine, I got a lot of requests and calls, support from everybody back in Algeria. I was in the news, and I even got messages from renowned athletes. I was happy with their reactions, support and engagement. I did not expect to be welcomed by the minister of sports and youth, by athletes, by fans, by journalists. They all came to see me at the airport,\u201d he recalled.<\/p>\n

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\u201cPeople were hosting parties for me. They were telling me, \u2018you\u2019re the champion, you\u2019re the pride of Algeria, you\u2019re the best Algerian fighter that Algeria ever knew\u2019,\u201d enthused Said Maalem who could not stop crooning over the memorable trip to Annaba, the city where he spent most of his childhood.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cI went to Annaba, my hometown, and I saw my pictures on the walls. Families and their kids came to celebrate. They invited me to dinner at their homes. It was a celebration like no other. I\u2019ve never experienced it before,\u201d added the \u201cPride of Algeria\u201d.<\/p>\n

Now, \u201cL\u2019Ambience\u201d has the chance to reignite that flame with his motherland by solidifying his status in the light heavyweight division this weekend in the rematch when he takes on Brave CF\u2019s middleweight champion and Lebanon\u2019s Fakhreddine (14-4) once again for the unoccupied 205-pound throne.<\/p>\n

Said Maalem made it clear that he plans to humble Fakhreddine when they meet again.<\/p>\n

The bad blood between the two stemmed from their canceled fight at BRAVE CF 50 in April 2021 when Fakhreddine opted to pull out of the contest due to illness. The war of words on social media and in person ensued soon afterwards.<\/p>\n

Said Maalem and Fakhreddine had the opportunity to settle the score at BRAVE CF 52: Bad Blood four months later, but to compound the misery, it ended in controversy.<\/p>\n

According to the Brave CF promotion, Fakhreddine has cried foul over the officiating of the match and let Said Maalem know about it.<\/p>\n

However, the Algerian brute has had enough of it.<\/p>\n

\u201cFakhreddine is known for arguing. This isn\u2019t the first time. He said the referee wasn\u2019t up to standard, once he said I hit him under the belt, and he also said that I hit behind the head. I won and after three weeks, the results were overturned,\u201d Said Maalem stressed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis has never happened in the history of MMA to change a result after three weeks. But it\u2019s okay. On March 11, I am going to end this story.\u201d<\/p>\n

The fight will be the co-main event of the card which takes place at the Khalifa Sports City Arena in Isa Town, Bahrain this Friday. Brave CF57 will also form part of the exciting 2022 edition of the BRAVE International Combat Week which will also play host to the new MMA Super Cup that will determine who the best MMA nation is.<\/p>\n

BRAVE CF 57 Fight Card <\/strong>\u00a9 Provided by Independent Online (IOL)<\/span><\/p>\n

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