Former Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter Rolando Dy redeemed himself from previous losses after winning via split decision against an opponent from Poland in the Brave Combat Federation 42 in Bahrain on weekend.
The 28-year-old Dy turned emotional as soon as his hand was raised after an intense duel with Maciej Gierszewski, who has given the Filipino fighter an acid test in the fastest growing mixed martial arts promotion in the world.
The Filipino fighter started the bout as the more aggressive fighter by shooting for takedowns which distracted his much larger opponent. He was also effective in his small jabs and leg kicks, though the Polish fighter had a better performance in the second round.
Dy fired back on the third canto and regained his momentum, earning him the hard-earned split decision victory.
Dy came into the fight on a short notice, as he was not active in his training the past months due to the Covid-19 pandemic. He did not do any sparring sessions before he left the country for Bahrain on Sept. 20.
“This is the first time in my fighting career that I never did hard sparring for the fight preparation,” Dy shared to TieBreaker Times, adding he was on a nine-month layoff heading into the bout and was coming off two stoppage defeats.
Dy dedicated his victory to his newborn daughter, Joy Gabrielle, and to the youngest son of his coach Norman Arena, Vasyl Luke.
The fighter from Biagtan Muay Thai/Kratos MMA improved his MMA professional record to 13 wins and nine losses.
Dy has fought in various MMA promotions, such as UFC where he recorded one victory out of his four bouts in the world’s biggest MMA promotion. – Harley F. Palangchao
