Filipino mixed martial arts star Rolando Dy (Photo courtesy of UFC)
MANILA – Filipino mixed martial arts (MMA) star Rolando Dy is bracing for what would be his biggest fight so far in his career as he will headline Brave CF 47 in Manama, Bahrain on March 11.
Dy, the son of boxing legend Rolando Navarrete, will be facing Abdisalam Kubanychbek in the main event of the said card with the winner likely to face Brave lightweight champion Amin Ayoub next.
"Sa tingin ko, ito ang pinakamahirap ko (In my point of view, this is going to be my toughest fight ever)," Dy said on Sunday night in the Sports on Air podcast.
Since joining Brave in 2019, Kubanychbek has been making a statement after another, knocking out Joao Paulo Rodrigues and Vagif Askerov in his first two forays into the promotion before submitting Jahongir Saidjamolov at Brave CF 46 last January.
Kubanychbek has won his last nine fights overall.
Dy said Kubanychbek is ranked fourth among the top fighters within the former Soviet Union, making him a worthy protagonist in the title eliminator.
"We all know ano ang level ng Russia pagdating sa MMA, so alam ko mapapalaban ako sa laban na ito (at what level Russia is right now in terms of MMA, so I know I will be in for a tough grind in this fight)," Dy further said. "Isa siya sa pinakamagaling na nakalaban ko (He is one of the best fighters I have faced)."
While the knockouts showed how well rounded Kubanychbek can be, Dy believes Kubanychbek is at his best when he brings the fight to the ground.
"We know that Kyrgyzstan's wrestlers are one of the best," Dy further said.
However, he believes his opponent is beatable.
"Abdisalam is powerful, but he's not fast," Dy analyzed Kubanychbek further. "He is a little bit stiff and slow."
Ahead of his battle, Dy said he will leave for Manama next Sunday even as he wraps up his training camp here this week. (PNA)
