ILONGGO mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Jenel Lausa is aiming to get back on the winning track after losing his BRAVE Combat Federation (CF) last month against Ryskulbek Ibraimov of Kyrgyzstan.
According to the Concepcion, Iloilo-native Lausa, he hopes to be part of the fight card being planned by the fast-rising MMA promotional outfit in Minsk, Belarus on June 4.
“I hope to be part of that fight card so that I can bounce back from my previous defeat,” Lausa said. “The BRAVE CF 51 in Belarus is a golden opportunity for me to get back on the winning ways.”
Lausa is looking forward to being featured in the Belarus bout as one of his MMA idols was local star Andrei “The Pitbull” Arlovski, an MMA pioneer who paved the way for the sport’s popularity in Belarus by capturing the UFC Heavyweight World Title in 2005.
“He’s one of my idols. I admire how he fights in the cage because he’s exciting and gives it all in every fight. It will be a dream come true if I get to fight where he started his career,” Lausa said.
Lausa – who is also an undefeated boxer – stressed that he has a lot of lessons learned from his defeat to Ibraimov and that he is improving in training in preparation for his next match.
“I think of it as a lesson. It will serve as an inspiration to push myself to the limit. I will triple my time in training. I’m not discouraged at all. I want to fight as soon as possible. Winning and fighting again will motivate me,” the Ilonggo said.
Just like Lausa, Filipino MMA fighter Rolando Dy also hopes to be featured in the Belarus card after losing to Kyrgyz powerhouse Abdisalam Kubanychbek via a second-round corner stoppage last month.
“I have no other options but to get back up. I know the loss to Kubanychbek will make me a better fighter. I learned a lot from this loss more than I learned from my wins,” Dy said. “I will be ready for the next one. I hope I will be back in action very soon.”
“I haven’t been to Europe yet, and it’s enticing to fight over there,” he added. “Belarus is a great starting point of my road to redemption. I won’t think twice about taking that offer to fight in Europe.”/PN
