After losing Filipino bantamweight champion Stephen Loman to rival ONE Championship, BRAVE Combat Federation, has moved to restack it roster of Filipino talents by signing Jenel “The Demolition Man” Lausa.
The fastest-growing mixed martial arts organization in the world further locked in Lausa with an exclusive multi-bout contract to bolster its burgeoning roster of top-class athletes.
Lausa is a 32-year-old Filipino flyweight who was born and raised in Iloilo, Philippines. He holds a professional record of 7-5 with two knockouts wins and two by way of submission.
He is one of the handful Filipino fighters who reached the pinnacle of MMA competition having fought under the Ultimate Fighting Championship banner.
He is, however, on the comeback trail after being inactive for almost three years. His last fight was against Ulka Sasaki, losing in abbreviated fashion by a second round rear-naked choke during UFC Fight Night 132 on June 23, 2018.
“Coming back to mixed martial arts is really something that I look forward to. I am very grateful for this opportunity, and I value the trust that BRAVE CF has given me. I am excited to represent my country once again on the global stage of mixed martial arts, and it is with great pride that my return to the sport will take place under the banner of BRAVE CF,” Lausa stated.
After the Sasaki loss, his third consecutive bout under the UFC banner, Lausa left the MMA cage when given the pink slip and his efforts for a company who would take him in while exploring the free-agent market failed to produced results.
His MMA inactivity forced him to explore the arena of his first love, boxing.
He was not new to switching trades as Lausa moonlighted as a boxer to keep himself physically active while waiting for fight offers when he was still with Pacific Xtreme Combat.
He made his first boxing appearance in July 2014, winning against Pinoy journeyman Albert Campilan. From then on, Lausa won six more bouts in emphatic fashion, including a split decision triumph over Jon Jon Estrada to clinch the interim Philippine Boxing Federation Super Bantamweight Championship in 2016.
Lausa’s mark inside the boxing ring is an excellent one, recording a perfect 10-0-1 slate with six knockouts. He also clinched the Global Boxing Organization Asia-Pacific Super Featherweight Title three years later.
In addition to his boxing titles, he also once held the PXC Flyweight Title by defeating Team Lakay’s Crisanto Pitpitunge via split decision in 2016.
He did reocrd a one-sided unanimous decision victory over China’s Yao Zhikui in his first UFC bout, a win that kicked off his stint started on a high note.
Lausa is scheduled to make his promotional debut under BRAVE CF on March 11, 2021 at BRAVE CF 47. He is scheduled to face Afghan Rahmatullah Yousufzai in a flyweight bout.
Yousufzai, undefeated in four fights, made his world debut against Abdulmanap Magomedov last September 17, 2020 during during BRAVE CF 41. He ended the bout by scoring a 41-second TKO win against his Russian foe.
Rolando Dy, the 2020 BRAVE Fighter of the Year, is set to headline the first event engaging Kyrgyzstan’s Abdisalam Kubanychbek in a Lightweight Title Eliminator bout that will serve as the main event for BRAVE CF 47:Asian Domination on March 11.
Aside from Lausa and Dy, BRAVE also rosters Jeremy Pacatiw, Harold Banario, Jomar Pa-ac, and John Cris Corton as their Filipino talents.
Lausa joins Pa-ac and Corton to form the Pinoy triumvirate campaigning in the flyweight division.
The promotion, however, lost their most prized Filipino fighter when Loman decided to jump ship to ONE.
“The Sniper” is their longest reigning champion in promotion history, as well as the champion who has the most title defenses.
By Armando M. Bolislis