Rolando Dy out to reclaim Brave CF top contender spot

MANILA, Philippines – Filipino fighter Rolando Dy aims to regain lost ground as he guns for nothing less than a victory against Serbian Slobodan Maksimovic in the main event of Brave CF 56 slated next week at the Belexpocenter in Belgrade, Serbia.

Dy, 30, was a win away from earning a title crack in the featherweight division but he absorbed a second-round stoppage at the hands of Kyrgysztan’s Abdisalam Kubantchbek in Brave CF 47 last May that denied him of that chance.

And now Dy, who fell to a 14-10 record, wants to reclaim his old place.

“This is a very important fight because I am here to keep my spot in the division. My opponent is a debutant who has the chance to move up the ladder. I expect him to come into our fight hungry, motivated, and eager to win,” said Dy.

“I was a win away from getting a shot at the belt. I was in that position for a reason, and I want to remind every lightweight in the organization that I am not letting go of my position,” he added.

But Dy will have his hands full against the big-punching Maksimovic, who has an impressive 17-6-1 record and ranked No. 5 lightweight in the Balkan Peninsula.

“The level of competition that I have faced is different, and I truly believe that the caliber of fighters I’ve fought is a whole lot harder compared to him. My experience will be my edge in this fight,” said Dy.

“He has a decent ground game as seen in the clips of his past fights, but he’s more of a striker. So I expect him to trade strikes with me. I am not worried at all because I know that I have better fundamentals in striking.”