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Bibiano Fernandes credited ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong for turning a small combat sports organization into the global juggernaut it is today.
The 11-time ONE bantamweight MMA world champion returned to the Circle at ONE 171: Qatar for the final fight of his illustrious career.
Going toe-to-toe with longtime rival Kevin Belingon for an unprecedented fifth time, 'The Flash' secured a closely contested split decision, ending his 24-year run with another big win.
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Following the festivities, Fernandes commended Sityodtong for the success of ONE:
"The only thing I can look back is to say congratulations to Chatri [Sityodtong]. What you build for us, for each future champion coming, and see how, how calm it is in ONE Championship, ONE Championship was not like this".
"I remember, with a small office in Singapore, a small office over there, and now [look] at how big is. Congratulations, Chatri. Looking back at that makes me very proud."
Signing with ONE Championship in 2012, Fernandes is one of the organization's tenured athletes, holding the record for most title fights and most title fight wins in promotional history.
Bibiano Fernandes plans to pass on his knowledge to the next generation
With 31 career fights to his resume and 13 wins under the ONE banner, there's no surprise why Bibiano Fernandes is one of the most celebrated athletes in promotional history.
At 44 years old, 'The Flash' felt that it was time to lay down his gloves, but don't expect Fernandes to walk away from the sport entirely. Instead, the Brazilian plans to stay busy in the gym, passing his knowledge down to help mold the next generation of mixed martial arts superstars:
"I will coach and go back home, spend time with my kids a little bit, and go back to my school and see what's next for Mr. Chatri here, go to Japan. But the thing is, keep moving. Keep growing. Pass the knowledge. Inspire the people, especially the next champion".
"Same as I said in the beginning, right, never give up. Keep it going. If you want to be a champion, you have to put your time in there."
If you missed any of the action, you can watch the full ONE 171: Qatar replay on demand via watch.onefc.com.
