Early this morning in the Kingdom of Bahrain, BRAVE CF held their 47th event, headlined by Kyrgyzstan’s Abdisalam Uulu Kubanychbek taking on former UFC fighter and BRAVE’s 2020 Fighter of the Year, Rolando Dy. The headlining bout was to establish the next #1 Contender for the BRAVE Lightweight Championship. Riding a 9-fight winning streak, Kubanychbek had the eyes of the MMA world on him, and he would make the most of the opportunity.
With his elite wrestling and crippling forward pressure, Kubanychbek has long been on the radar of many MMA scouts, this fight marking the biggest one of his career.
His opponent, a once written-off talent, presented a stiff challenge for the Kyrgyzstani. After getting cut from the UFC, Rolando Dy had gained some momentum of his own, winning two straight fights in BRAVE in which he was an underdog in both, a feat that netted him the honor of BRAVE Fighter of the Year for 2020. His run of success led to the fight against “Orok” being booked for a main event spot.
In the fight, Kubanychbek immediately began to push Dy back to the cage and land power shots, stifling Dy’s counters by controlling his lead hand. With Kubanychbek pressing Dy against the cage, all he could do was fire power shots that were mostly dodged with ease. While on the feet, Dy at least had a chance, but when it hit the ground, there was no competition. Kubanychbek dominated Dy with suffocating top pressure, working primarily out of half guard. The ground and pound strikes added up quickly for Kubanychbek, battering Dy with elbows to the point where Dy’s own corner called the fight on the stool between the second and third round.
The demolition of Dy marked Kubanychbek’s fourth straight finish in the promotion in as many fights. His performance impressed all who watched, including his opponent.
“Sorry I let you guys down. The guy from Dagestan/Kyrgyzstan is the better man. The best guy I ever fought in my entire life.”
Rolando Dy, post-fight.
This is remarkably high praise from a man who has shared the cage with Alex Caceres and Shane Young. If Dy is to believed, Kubanychbek is already one of the world’s best lightweights and a move to the UFC seems imminent. Kubanychbek will now fight the winner of Amin Ayoub and Ahmed Amir for the BRAVE Lightweight Championship.