Dy, son of boxing great Navarette, loses but wins P2.6 million bonus

 

 

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines was on the losing side of the equation at Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Fight Night 132 in Singapore on Saturday night, June 23, as Filipino fighters Rolando Dy and Jenel Lausa were both unsuccessful in their respective bouts.

But Dy –  the son of Filipino boxing great Rolando Navarrete – still won US $50,000 (P2.6 million) as a consolation prize for delivering the Fight of the Night along with Kiwi winner “Sugar” Shane Young. (READ: Rolando Dy, son of boxing legend Navarette, makes own path in MMA)

The 26-year-old Dy (9-7-1, 1NC) fell victim to a younger Young via ground-and-pound TKO at the 4:40 mark of round 2.

Young and Dy, along with fighters Ovince Saint Preux and Song Yadong, each earned US $50,000 fight-night bonuses for winning Fights of the Night.

The featherweight bout was among the preliminary cards of the event at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

 

  

Lausa (7-5-0) fell to the Japanese veteran Ulka Sasaki (21-5-2) at the 4:04 mark of the second round by way of the ever-deadly rear-naked choke. 

The 29-year-old fighter from Iloilo was an undefeated professional boxer (7-0) before moving to the octagon.

The flyweight bout was also part of the preliminary cards. 

Cerrone fails in bid for UFC record books 

American mixed martial arts star Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone also failed in his bid to make UFC history as he was beaten by his younger opponent after falling ill.

Cerrone, 35, had hoped to claim the standalone record for most wins in UFC history.

But 26-year-old British fighter Leon “Rocky” Edwards denied him the privilege, winning via unanimous decision.

The loss means Cerrone remains locked in a 3-way tie for the win record, along with former champions Michael Bisping and Georges St-Pierre, at 20 victories each.

Welterweight Cerrone said he had been under the weather all day but came out to fight anyway.

“This old dog isn’t going anywhere. There’s still a lot of fight left in me,” he said after the fight.

“I was literally sick all day today, I could barely get out of bed. I’ve never felt like that,” he said, adding later at a news conference he had been throwing up earlier in the day.

 

Cerrone suffered his 11th career loss, but said he was not sad he failed to achieve a record because there would still be a chance in his future fights.

He was not about to hang up his gloves, he said, adding he would like to have two more fights this year and continue fighting over the next 5 years.

Cerrone praised Edwards, who notched up his 15th victory.

“Leon was the better man tonight and he did his thing. I hope he takes off and does really well in this sport,” he said.

Edwards said he hoped that victory over Cerrone would propel him to main-event status in a sport that is fast gaining popularity worldwide, including in Asia.

“Thank you to Cowboy for giving me the chance to fight a legend,” Edwards said after the fight.

Ahead of the fight, Edwards had taunted Cerrone for being old and slow, and the American vowed to teach his younger opponent a lesson.

Edwards came to Saturday’s fight with a 5-fight winning streak, and Cerrone’s scalp was his 6th.

Cerrone came in from a victory over Yancy Medeiros in February.

That win followed losing all his 3 previous matches – a run that had prompted comments he was past his prime.

Cerrone suffered a cut near his right eye early in the first round from a knee by Edwards and blood trickled from the wound throughout the fight.

The American tried several times to take down his younger opponent, but the more agile Edwards was able to quickly escape. Cerrone later said the blood from his cut made his grip slippery.

“He told me don’t run but the whole fight he ran from me,” Cerrone said, laughing as he recalled one conversation with Edwards inside the metal cage.

In an apparent show of frustration, Cerrone at one point motioned Edwards with his finger to move to the center of the octagon and slug it out.

The American said he was flying out early Sunday as his wife is expected to give birth imminently.

In one of the main cards, China’s biggest MMA star and welterweight prospect Li “The Leech” Jingliang hammered Japanese judo specialist Daichi Abe via unanimous decision. – With a report from Agence France-Presse