EX-UFC fighter Rolando Dy is set to face Serbian veteran Slobodan Maksimovic in the main event of Brave CF 56 on Dec. 18, 2021 at the BelExpo Centar in Belgrade, Serbia.
After a four-fight stint in the UFC, Dy made his way to the Middle East fighting under the UAE Warriors and Brave CF banners. He positioned himself to become a contender in the lightweight division of Brave CF after back-to-back wins over Maciek Gierszewski and John Brewin in 2020.
Dy, the son of Filipino boxing legend Rolando Navarrete, was a win away from a title shot after getting a title eliminator bout with Abdysalam Uulu Kubanychiev on March 11, 2021 in Bahrain. However, the 30-year-old Dy was forced to quit on his stool in the second round.
Dy fought in the UFC from 2017 to 2018. He lost his first two fights against Alex Caceres and Teruto Ishihara before he finally got his only UFC win, a unanimous decision over Buren Wuliji in 2017. He then fought Aussie Shane Young and got destroyed in two rounds that got him cut from the roster of the world’s grandest MMA organization.
The 32-year-old Maksimovic is a winner of back-to-back fights in his native of Serbia. He beat Brazilians Sergio de Jesus Santos and Bruno Lobato in the Serbian Battle Championship. He will be making his Brave CF debut against Dy.
Dy is 14-10 with four wins via knockout and two wins by submission. Maksimovic is 17-6 with three wins by knockout and three wins via submission.