REIGNING Brave Combat Federation (CF) Fighter of the Year Rolando “Dy Incredible” Dy of the Philippines is set to return to action in March against Kyrgyzstan’s Abdisalam Kubanychbek in a lightweight title eliminator.
In an announcement late Wednesday, Bahrain-based Brave said the Dy-Kubanychbek fight will headline Brave CF 47 on March 11, which kicks off the promotion’s “Kombat Kingdom” offering.
A veteran MMA fighter, Mr. Dy, 29, seeks to build on his good showing last year and continue his push to the summit of the division and get a shot at the title currently held by Frenchman Amin Ayoub.
Mr. Dy, son of Filipino boxing legend Rolando Navarette, has thrust himself to the fore after a fruitful season in 2020 notwithstanding the limitations presented by the coronavirus pandemic.
He defeated Maciej Gierszewski and John Brewin within a two-month span and had Brave impressed to make him the top fighter for last year.
Mr. Kubanychbek, for his part, arrived at Brave in 2019 and has steadily become one of the most prominent lightweight fighters in the promotion.
He earned back-to-back knockouts, against Joao Paulo Rodrigues and Vagif Askerov, and recently, at Brave CF 46, last January, submitted Jahongir Saidjamolov in the second round.
The full slate of fights for Brave CF 47 will be announced in the days ahead.
Kombat Kingdom happens within a 21-day span and will feature a series of fight nights until Apr. 1, when Brave hosts its 50th event.
Brave was founded in 2016 and has staged events in different parts of the world, including the Philippines. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo