Rolando Gabriel Dy has been in the fight game for five years but has known the ins-and-outs of the industry since he was a young lad.
The second-generation warrior has been with top regional promotion Pacific Xtreme Combat for almost the entirety of his professional mixed martial arts career. Throughout his stay with the promotion, he has headlined cards and even faced the champions. However, pundits have criticized his maturity that has hindered his growth as an elite fighter.
Being just 24 years young, “Dy Incredible” has all the tools to become one of the finest mixed martial artists we have. And after years of struggling to make weight in the bantamweight division, he has finally found a home in the featherweight division.
Friday evening at the Grand Ballroom of Solaire Hotel and Resort, the MMA community may have finally saw what a zoned Gab Dy can do inside the cage in an impressive 23 second TKO win over undefeated prospect Koyomi Matsushima. The enigmatic fighter, after his masterful performance, was lost for words after what he had accomplished. “Unang-una, na-feefeel ko ngayon na yung faith ko kay Jesus Christ lalong lumalim,” the Davaoeno said. “This is almost impossible. My opponent is 5-0 but with God anything is possible.”
Rolando Dy against Miguel Mosquera during PXC 51
Going into the bout, Dy admitted that he doubted himself during his training but it was his coaches who brought up his morale in believing in him.“Actually, hindi ko in-eexpect pero naniniwala kasi sa akin yung mga coach ko. Sila coach Norman, Isaiah, ni Bernard at ni Master Rey na kaya ko siyang ma-knockout,” he shared to Tiebreaker Times.
“Honestly, nag-doudoubt ako sa sarili ko pero naniniwala lang talaga sa akin yung mga coaches ko. Tsaka naghanda talaga ako sa boxing at yung power ng mga punches ko tinraining ko talaga. Yung conditioning training ko rin.”
Now at 6-4 and finally finding a home in a higher division, Dy, after failing to cop the PXC Bantamweight crown, has learned the advantage of cutting-weight does not eclipse the negatives that come with it. “Huwag masyadong mag-cut. Ngayon 145 ako, I’m stronger and faster at 145. I just enjoy this weight better than 135. I’m a different fighter at 145,” the former number one contender in the PXC bantamweight admitted.
Looking forward to his next challenge, Dy is hoping to get a crack at newly-crowned PXC Featherweight Champion Alex Volkanovski. Moreover, he is hoping that a win against Volkanovski gets him noticed by the top fight league in the world today, the Ultimate Fighting Championship. “I expect a UFC contract, please give me that UFC contract or please give me a title shot,” he added in true Rolando Dy-fashion.
To close out, he gave this stern warning to any fighter that will step foot on the terror dome against him. “You don’t attack a Filipino striker with your hands down and your chin up. You can do that against the Japanese or another race but never attack a Filipino striker hands down, chins up,” he exclaimed.
