ONE of the noteworthy fighters in Brave Combat Federation (CF), Rolando “Dy Incredible” Dy of the Philippines is happy to see the promotion recognized for its efforts to push mixed martial arts (MMA).

Brave CF was recently awarded promotion of the year by combat sports website FightBook MMA for staying resilient despite the challenges presented by the pandemic last year by staging its brand of MMA action.

It was the fourth straight time that the promotion was bestowed the award by the website.

“It’s no surprise to me that Brave CF won the award. In 2020, they’re one of the few promotions in the world that dared to take the first step and brought hope to fighters like me who were exploring different means to survive during the pandemic. That’s truly commendable,” said Mr. Dy, who is one of the top contenders in the lightweight division.

Mr. Dy (14-9), son of Filipino boxing legend Rolando Navarrette, finished 2020 strong in Brave.

He first defeated Polish knockout artist Maciej Gierszewski on Sept. 24 at “Brave CF 42” in Riffa, where he won by split decision. In said fight, he more than proved his worth notwithstanding the long layoff en route to the hard-earned victory. Prior to it, Mr. Dy last fought in December 2019, where he absorbed his second straight defeat as a featherweight.

He then followed up his victory over Mr. Gierszewski with an even more impressive win over New Zealand’s John Brewin at “Brave CF 44” on Nov. 5.

Despite taking the fight on short notice, being a replacement fighter, Mr. Dy wound up a unanimous decision victor in the lightweight title eliminator clash, putting himself in position to challenge for the Brave championship belt currently held by Amin Ayoub of France.

Founded in 2016, Brave, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, has made significant headways in bringing top-class MMA action in different parts of the globe, including the Philippines.

Since being established, the company has visited more than a dozen countries.

Brave said that by taking MMA to a wider range, it hopes to give a truly global platform to athletes for their in-cage abilities and fighting qualities. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

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