“A magical moment” - Chatri Sityodtong says Saitama Super Arena is the best venue for Bibiano Fernandes’ ONE Hall of Fame induction

Bibiano Fernandes will be inducted into the ONE Championship Hall of Fame when the promotion heads to the legendary Saitama Super Arena in Japan on Sunday, March 23.

Following Fernandes' successful swan song at ONE 171: Qatar, the promotion's Chairman and CEO, Chatri Sityodtong, announced that 'The Flash' will make one final appearance inside the Circle at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang.

However, this time it won't be to fight.

Instead, Fernandes will be the second-ever fighter to be enshrined in ONE's Hall of Fame, and Sityodtong believes there's no better place to do it than inside one of Japan's most iconic venues. Speaking at the ONE 171 post-fight press conference, Sityodtong said:

"I just got approval from marketing that I can announce it. So Bibiano will be in Saitama Super Arena Tokyo next month, March 23rd to be the second person to be inducted into the Hall of Fame of ONE Championship. It's a legendary career. Okay, and so fans around the world, you know, Bibi was born. The name Bibi was born in Japan. Obviously, the sport of Mixed Martial Arts was born in Japan".

"And so we've felt it was a fitting end for Bibiano to be, you know, inducted to the Hall of Fame at Saitama Super Arena, it's just gonna be a magical moment. So fans around the world, if you're coming for the fights anyway, you get another little special treat. You get to say goodbye to Bibiano."

If you missed any of the action, you can watch the full ONE 171: Qatar replay on demand via watch.onefc.com.

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Bibiano Fernandes' legacy speaks for itself

Bibiano Fernandes joins P4P great Demetrious Johnson as the only two fighters inducted into the ONE Hall of Fame.

There are few fighters in ONE Championship history more deserving of such an honor. During his more than two-decade-long career in mixed martial arts, 'The Flash' is a multi-time BJJ world champion and a former two-division DREAM champion in Japan.

In ONE, he held the promotion's bantamweight MMA world title an incredible 11 times and still holds the record for the most title fights and most title fight wins in ONE history. He also has the most title defenses in the bantamweight division and is tied for the most consecutive title defenses.

Fernandes officially closed out his career with a win at ONE 171, scoring a split-decision victory over longtime rival Kevin Belingon.

ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang will emanate from the Saitama Super Arena in Japan on Sunday, March 23. Head over to watch.onefc.com to learn more about how you can watch the event live.