We see rematches, and the odd trilogy – but the fact we will see Bibiano Fernandes and Kevin Belingon head to head at ONE 171: Qatar for a fifth time is something pretty special.
While Bibiano might lead the series 3-1, there is a lot riding on this for both men.
Neither have been seen in the cage since 2022, so this is the chance to continue one of ONE Championship’s most storied rivalries, and show the world that these two warriors still have what it takes to compete on the biggest of stages.
It is easy to argue that Bibiano built the ONE Championship bantamweight MMA division. A former champion, who defended the belt a record times – the man who ended that run in 2018? Kevin Belingon. And we find ourselves here today
“Kevin is a tough dude,” said Bibiano. “He’s explosive, and very dangerous. He has good power. He’s been in ONE Championship for a long time as well. We’ve both been there for a long time. When Chatri asked me if I wanted to fight Kevin, I said yeah, let’s do it. And that’s it. I’m here now.”
The Brazilian, now 44, looks back fondly on their previous encounters and knows just how much of an impact they had on ONE’s bantamweight division.
“Let me put it this way,” he said. “The other day, I was watching a fight between me and Kevin. I was watching that on Facebook, it just showed up and said it had 29 million views. That fight was watched 29 million times.”
Where once he saw titles and matches, now Bibiano is focussed on the bigger picture – and what comes next in what has been a fascinating life story.
“Before, I only had fighting. Now, I have my school. I have a lot of students. I have a lot of people to look after. I have my whole family, my kids. I feel like I have to put my energy into something bigger.
“Bibiano the fighter is just a small [part of my life]. But now, something bigger has come. For me, that means I have a lot of students, a lot of people to look after. I have my family in Brazil. Sometimes in life, you have to make decisions. And at this point in my life, I think it’s the right way to [end my MMA career] and move forward.”
Filipino Belingon, has not only been out of the cage for a number of years, but is also coming off five consecutive losses, but the prospect of facing his long-time rival still fills him with the energy and will to win he had when claiming the title.
“I know it’s been nearly two years since I last competed, but I’m alright,” he said. “When the fight was offered, of course I was surprised. I never expected to fight him again. But then I thought, I’ll get the chance to settle the score so I’m truly excited. I feel blessed to still compete in ONE Championship.”
Even at the age of 37, Belingon feels he is still developing as a fighter, and will bring something new to the table when the two face off at the Lusail Arena at ONE 171: Qatar.
“The past two years, I’ve just been focused on my Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under professor Gibran Langbayan,” he explained. “I’ve been working hard on my jiu-jitsu, I’ve joined and won tournaments in my time away from MMA.
“I don’t know if there’s any one thing that’ll surprise me against Bibiano, but I’ll certainly be looking to be the one surprising him in this bout.”
And while the division has moved on with a slew of top-class fighters, Belingon still believes he has something to offer in those upper echelons.
“This is definitely my last chance against Bibiano so I’ll certainly do everything to get this win and even the score.
“What I want to prove is that I’m not done. I’m still strong, I can still work hard, I can still fight. I want to show in this fight that I’ve improved in this fight.
“I still feel like I belong with the best of this division. I believe that I’m still quick enough, I’m strong enough and I can hang around and go toe to toe with the best fighters in this division, the younger fighters in this division.”
You can watch Bibiano Fernandes and Kevin Belingon collide at ONE 171: Qatar, which takes place on Thursday February 20th at 5pm Mecca at the Lusail Sports Arena in Qatar. For ticket information, click here. Alternatively, you can watch the event live on BeIn Sports or at watch.onefc.com.
While Bibiano might lead the series 3-1, there is a lot riding on this for both men.
Neither have been seen in the cage since 2022, so this is the chance to continue one of ONE Championship’s most storied rivalries, and show the world that these two warriors still have what it takes to compete on the biggest of stages.
It is easy to argue that Bibiano built the ONE Championship bantamweight MMA division. A former champion, who defended the belt a record times – the man who ended that run in 2018? Kevin Belingon. And we find ourselves here today
“Kevin is a tough dude,” said Bibiano. “He’s explosive, and very dangerous. He has good power. He’s been in ONE Championship for a long time as well. We’ve both been there for a long time. When Chatri asked me if I wanted to fight Kevin, I said yeah, let’s do it. And that’s it. I’m here now.”
The Brazilian, now 44, looks back fondly on their previous encounters and knows just how much of an impact they had on ONE’s bantamweight division.
“Let me put it this way,” he said. “The other day, I was watching a fight between me and Kevin. I was watching that on Facebook, it just showed up and said it had 29 million views. That fight was watched 29 million times.”
Where once he saw titles and matches, now Bibiano is focussed on the bigger picture – and what comes next in what has been a fascinating life story.
“Before, I only had fighting. Now, I have my school. I have a lot of students. I have a lot of people to look after. I have my whole family, my kids. I feel like I have to put my energy into something bigger.
“Bibiano the fighter is just a small [part of my life]. But now, something bigger has come. For me, that means I have a lot of students, a lot of people to look after. I have my family in Brazil. Sometimes in life, you have to make decisions. And at this point in my life, I think it’s the right way to [end my MMA career] and move forward.”
Filipino Belingon, has not only been out of the cage for a number of years, but is also coming off five consecutive losses, but the prospect of facing his long-time rival still fills him with the energy and will to win he had when claiming the title.
“I know it’s been nearly two years since I last competed, but I’m alright,” he said. “When the fight was offered, of course I was surprised. I never expected to fight him again. But then I thought, I’ll get the chance to settle the score so I’m truly excited. I feel blessed to still compete in ONE Championship.”
Even at the age of 37, Belingon feels he is still developing as a fighter, and will bring something new to the table when the two face off at the Lusail Arena at ONE 171: Qatar.
“The past two years, I’ve just been focused on my Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under professor Gibran Langbayan,” he explained. “I’ve been working hard on my jiu-jitsu, I’ve joined and won tournaments in my time away from MMA.
“I don’t know if there’s any one thing that’ll surprise me against Bibiano, but I’ll certainly be looking to be the one surprising him in this bout.”
And while the division has moved on with a slew of top-class fighters, Belingon still believes he has something to offer in those upper echelons.
“This is definitely my last chance against Bibiano so I’ll certainly do everything to get this win and even the score.
“What I want to prove is that I’m not done. I’m still strong, I can still work hard, I can still fight. I want to show in this fight that I’ve improved in this fight.
“I still feel like I belong with the best of this division. I believe that I’m still quick enough, I’m strong enough and I can hang around and go toe to toe with the best fighters in this division, the younger fighters in this division.”
You can watch Bibiano Fernandes and Kevin Belingon collide at ONE 171: Qatar, which takes place on Thursday February 20th at 5pm Mecca at the Lusail Sports Arena in Qatar. For ticket information, click here. Alternatively, you can watch the event live on BeIn Sports or at watch.onefc.com.
Source: sportsnewsireland.com