Rolando Dy succeeds in ‘suicide mission’ in UFC Fight Night Shanghai

Rafael Bandayrel

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Rolando Dy succeeds in ‘suicide mission’ in UFC Fight Night Shanghai
(UPDATED) Despite being a last-minute replacement, Filipino MMA fighter Rolando Dy 'Incredible' scores an impressive unanimous decision win in his Octagon debut

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) –Third time’s the charm for Filipino cage fighter Rolando Dy as he scored his first Octagon victory in the preliminary card of UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs Gastelum, Saturday, November 25, in Shanghai, China.

After three five-minute rounds, Dy was able to get the nod from the judges, besting Wuliji Buren via unanimous decision. Dy fell to his knees crying, as Bruce Buffer read the official decision to his favor.

Dy immediately displayed his striking prowess as he dropped Wuliji with a left with under five minutes remaining in the first round.

Buren was able to score a total of four takedowns but the Filipino always found a way to escape his opponent’s offense unharmed. During the closing moments of the fight, Dy showed urgency as he landed a few clean strikes to the Chinese fighter.

Incredible comeback

A few days before the fight, Dy revealed that he was already cut by the UFC, but he was given a second chance when he was asked to fight Wuliji, on a two-week notice.

“I took this fight on two weeks’ notice and I was fat and out of shape.  I had retired after my last because the UFC cut me and I was very depressed. I missed weight and I am embarrassed. But by the grace of God, I got the victory tonight and I get to continue my journey,” said Dy in the post-fight interview.

Dy stressed that he’s in a must-win situation, as a victory is his “ticket” to remain in the premier MMA league’s roster. Going into the fight, Dy knew that he was at a disadvantage because he had little time to prepare following the late notice. “I call this a suicide mission” Dy said, ““I really need to win this fight because they’ve already cut me before [this].”

The 26-year-old made his UFC debut against Octagon veteran Alex Caceres, in Singapore, last June. But Dy was unsuccessful, as he got TKO’d due to an eye injury that he suffered during the second round.

Dy then had a chance at redemption, when he faced Japanese Teruto Ishihara, in UFC Saitama. However, the fighter from Parañaque City was bested by the hometown fighter via unanimous decision after three rounds.

The back-to-back losses affected his morale, said Dy. In his mind, Dy said, “I am not going to return anymore and I’m embarrassed that I was willing to give up on my dreams so early.”

Saturday’s triumph in UFC Shanghai, though, was just the boost Dy needed. The fire is back. “I refuse to be cut again and I will be a UFC fighter for a very long time. This is the most amazing feeling, getting my first UFC victory. I’m so happy right now.”

Year 2017 has not been kind to Filipino MMA fans as it witnessed the fall of UFC flyweight Jenel Lausa and former ONE lightweight champion Eduard Folayang. With the win, ‘Dy Incredible’ achieved his goal of presenting Filipino fight with a combo-breaker. “My goal is to win and to end the year with a win for the Pinoys.” – Rappler.com 

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