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Brazilian martial arts veteran Bibiano Fernandes enjoyed one last hurrah before drawing the curtain on his legendary career at ONE 171: Qatar last Thursday, Feb. 20.
The 11-time ONE bantamweight MMA world champion hung his gloves for good after beating longtime rival Kevin Belingon for the fourth time via split decision inside the Lusail Sports Arena.
Fernandes is one of the longest-serving athletes in ONE Championship, having debuted at ONE: Pride of a Nation in August 2012 – the promotion's fifth show after its inception a year before.
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Over the years, 'The Flash' witnessed ONE's evolution first-hand while asserting his dominance in the bantamweight MMA division, enjoying a lengthy reign at the helm of the bracket that is yet to be surpassed by any athlete in the promotion.
Apart from his legendary rivalry with fellow icon of the sport, Belingon, Fernandes went toe-to-toe with Dae Hwan Kim, Koetsu Okazaki, Martin Nguyen, Stephen Loman, and John Lineker.
The Flash Academy Martial Arts founder got his tenure off to a sour note but returned with a vengeance to win 11 of his next 12 matches.
Fernandes retires with a 25-6 overall resume and a 12-4 run in ONE Championship. Before joining the world's largest martial arts organization, the 44-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) black belt competed for Dream, K-1, Raw Combat, and Jungle Fight.
Outside of MMA, Fernandes dazzled on the mats with 11 gold medals in the biggest BJJ tournaments across the world, which includes three IBJJF world championships as a black belt.
Bibiano Fernandes set for ONE Championship Hall of Fame Induction at ONE 172
Bibiano Fernandes, who's tremendously helped put Brazil on the map in the MMA realm, will be the second athlete in the promotion to be inducted into the ONE Championship Hall of Fame after multi-time MMA world champion Demetrious Johnson.
ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong confirmed this during the official ONE 171: Qatar post-fight press conference, shortly after the Brazilian laid down his gloves one final time on the global stage to signal his retirement from the sport.
Sityodtong added that the ceremony will take place at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan on March 23.
