Gerard Burns vs Danijel Špoljarić Full Fight | BRAVE CF 81 (Ireland vs Serbia) | Road to BRAVE 100
Ireland vs Serbia — the BRAVE CF 81 scrap that put Gerard Burns on the map
If you’re tuning in for a clean, high-pace flyweight firefight, this is it. At BRAVE CF 81, Ireland’s Gerard Burns met Serbia’s Danijel Špoljarić and wasted no time. Burns kept the exchanges tight—jab to body, step-in right, and a shove-off reset—until the finishing sequence arrived late in Round 1. It wasn’t a lucky punch; it was layered pressure: draw the counter, beat the hand back to the target, stack the scramble, and close.
Why this finish matters ahead of BRAVE 100
That result wasn’t a one-off. It fed directly into Burns’ flyweight surge and his shot at gold on BRAVE’s milestone card. With BRAVE 100 set in Bahrain, Burns now meets elite prospect Muhammad Mokaev for the inaugural flyweight championship—speed vs pressure, timing vs insistence. If you want to understand Burns’ confidence going in, you start with this fight: his ability to compress space without overcommitting, punish exits, and flip a scramble into damage.
Quick links & one-click navigation
- Organization hub: BRAVE CF
- Full fight you’re watching: Burns vs Špoljarić (from BRAVE CF 81)
- Title fight next: Mokaev vs Burns at BRAVE 100
BRAVE 100 snapshot — three belts, big stakes
BRAVE hits triple-digits with a card built for highlight reels. Alongside Mokaev vs Burns for the inaugural flyweight strap, the lineup features a bantamweight title bout and a super-welterweight interim title clash—serious name value across divisions, and a global mix that’s become BRAVE’s calling card.
- Bantamweight title: Borislav Nikolić vs Hamza Kooheji
- Interim super-welterweight title: Alex Lohoré vs Mohammad Fakhreddine
- Feature bouts to watch: Bahatebolati vs Rasul Magomedov, Mohamed Salem vs Rami Hamed
Style notes from Burns vs Špoljarić (and how they translate vs Mokaev)
1) Tracked pressure, not reckless chase. Burns closed distance with purposeful steps (outside foot to line up the right hand) and kept his head off center on entry. Against Mokaev—a disciplined mover—this will matter on the sprawl chain and the re-shot. Expect Burns to keep the cage cuts tight and deny wide circles.
2) Finish-building with body work. Even when exchanges looked 50–50, Burns kept “investments” going to the body. That approach saps bounce out of the opponent’s feet. Versus Mokaev, body touches can make level changes more readable and slow the explode-to-back takes.
3) Scramble insurance. Post-contact, Burns didn’t admire his work—he framed, posted, and punched back into position. Against an elite transitional fighter like Mokaev, those micro-wins (hands back, hips heavy, wrists peeled) are the difference between stalling a takedown and getting mat-returned.
Why fans should care
BRAVE’s flyweight division is suddenly a headline act. Burns brings knockout threat; Mokaev brings unbeaten aura and chain wrestling. The winner plants a flag on a night that also crowns champions at bantamweight and super-welterweight. If you track rising talent outside the UFC, this card is a temperature check on who’s next.
Before you go down the rabbit hole…
Rewatch the finish here, then hit the event page and bout hubs to skim records, recent form, and matchup notes. We keep everything one click away so you can jump from this full fight to the title-fight context in seconds.
Explore more: BRAVE CF • BRAVE 81 • Gerard Burns • Danijel Špoljarić • BRAVE 100 • Muhammad Mokaev • Mokaev vs Burns • Nikolić vs Kooheji • Lohoré vs Fakhreddine • Bahatebolati vs Magomedov.
