Lee Do Gyeom is the new UAE Warriors featherweight champion.
Coming in on short notice after Austin Arnett suffered an injury during training camp, Lee demolished Rolando Dy to startle most in attendance at UAE Warriors 8 on Friday night.
The South Korean did not waste any time and struck first with a perfectly timed kick to the lower leg that dropped his opponent to the floor. While Dy was trying to counter with power shots, Lee danced around the cage, switching stances and using plenty of feints to keep his opponent guessing.
With the audience at the Mubadala Arena in Abu Dhabi chanting ‘Rolando,’ the Filipino connected with some hard strikes in the next few exchanges to shift the momentum in his favor. However, unfazed by the flush shots and rabid fans, Lee stayed relaxed and waited for his moment.
As Dy got lazy with his lead hand, Lee saw an opening and lunged forward with a swift left hook. Dy collapsed and Lee rushed in, landing some solid left hands to his collapsing opponent to end the fight.
With this massive upset victory, Lee (7-3) captures his second championship strap of his career. He has made a living out of defeating Filipino opposition and has added Dy to the list of the fallen.
On top of failing to retain his title, Rolando Dy (17-8-0-1) snapped a three fight win streak and shattered any chance of returning to the UFC in the foreseeable future.
In the co-main event, Sasha Palatnikov also stepped in as a late replacement and was subsequently finished by Mounir Lazzez late in the first round. After a feeling out process by both fighters at the onset, Lazzez uncharacteristically attempted and completed a takedown.
Palatnikov was able to get back to his feet but ‘The Sniper’ pressed him against the fence while connecting with knees but a low blow stopped the action. The Hong Kong native was able to shake it off and they started to throw hands at a more rapid rate.
Lazzez was more accurate with his punches, whipping Palatnikov’s head back with combinations marching forward not giving him much room to breathe. In a wild exchange, he slipped in a straight right that had his opponent on queer street.
In a stroke of good luck, the Tunisian fell while trying to land a knee and Palatnikov gained top position. While Lazzez tried to scramble out, Palatnikov took the back and fell back to the canvas. Waiting calmly for his time to explode, Lazzez spun at the right moment and turned the tide.
After another scramble and submission attempt, Lazzez stayed in half guard and reigned down punches and elbows until the referee stepped in to stop the fight.
Lazzez elevates to 8-1 by getting back in the win column after suffering the first loss of his career earlier in the year at Brave CF 23. Meanwhile, Palatnikov loses for the first time since his pro debut back in 2017 and drops to 4-2 overall.
UAE Warriors 8, Abu Dhabi, October 18th
Lee Do Gyeom def. Rolando Dy via TKO (Punches) at 3:05 of Round 1 (Featherweight Title)
Mounir Lazzez def. Sasha Palatnikov via TKO (Punches) at 4:49 of Round 1
Alan Omer def. Aidan Aguilera via TKO (Punches) at of Round 1:36 of Round 1
Mohammed Yahya def. Glen Ranillo via TKO (Punches) at 1:32 of Round 1
Jaures Dea and Nawras Abzakh, Majority Draw (28-28, 28-28, 28-29)
Ahmad Labban def. Sofiane Benchohra via TKO (Punches) at 4:00 of Round 2
Abdulla Al Bousheiri def. Leandro Martins via TKO (Punches) at 1:22 of Round 2
Kaan Ofli def. Walid Laidi via TKO (Strikes) at 4:17 of Round 1
Seo Ye Dam def. Weronika Zygmunt via Decision (Unanimous) at 5:00 of Round 3
Omar Hussein def. Tohir Zhuraev via Decision (Unanimous) at 5:00 of Round 3
Alexandru Chitoran def. Hussein Fakher via Submission (Americana) at 2:41 of Round 1
Siyovush Gulmamadov def. Rey Nacionales via Decision (Unanimous) at 5:00 of Round 3
