Geje Eustaquio believes Stephen Loman ‘on even footing’ with Bibiano Fernandes in terms of experience

Former ONE flyweight world champion Geje Eustaquio is rooting for his Team Lakay teammate, ONE bantamweight star Stephen Loman in his fight at ONE on Prime Video 4.

Loman's opponent, former ONE bantamweight king Bibiano Fernandes, has had a lengthy rivalry with Team Lakay's Kevin Belingon, which spanned four fights in the promotion.

Coming into the November 19 bout, most observers pointed out the perceived experience difference between Loman and Fernandes. Apart from his stint in other organizations in the past, Fernandes has been in ONE Championship for more than a decade. He has been a world champion in the organization for nearly as long as well.

Loman, on the other hand, has only had two fights in ONE and barely a year in the organization. It's easy to see a sizable experience difference between the two. Eustaquio, however, begs to differ.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Eustaquio spoke about Loman's experience outside the organization:

"What Stephen [Loman] also has going for him against Bibiano is experience. I think, in terms of experience, they are on even footing. Many fans don’t realize Stephen was a longtime champion in another promotion, so he knows what it’s like to be on the top. He has the big-fight experience needed against someone like Bibiano Fernandes."

Eustaquio has a point. Loman has been fighting professionally since 2012 and was the Brave CF bantamweight world champion. He also defended the belt four straight times before debuting in ONE Championship last year. Coming into his fight, Fernandes has very little advantages over Loman, and experience is arguably not one of them.

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Stephen Loman not underestimating Bibiano Fernandes despite being "old already"

In an interview with ONE Championship, Stephen Loman spoke about his opinion of his November 19 opponent, Bibiano Fernandes. Despite Fernandes being already 42-years-old, Loman still believes that the former ONE bantamweight king can pose enough dangers inside the Circle.

Speaking about his conversation with Kevin Belingon, a former rival of Fernandes, Stephen Loman said:

"When he [Kevin Belingon] learned about my upcoming fight, he told me that I can beat Bibiano because he’s old already. Kidding aside, I think it will be a factor because he’s already 42 years old. I believe his explosiveness will still be there - we saw it in his fight against [John] Lineker as he was able to knock him down. I’m not underestimating his strength and striking, especially in the first round."

Fernandes did show that he's still better than most men half his age when he faced John Lineker back in March. His explosiveness, power and grit were evident when he faced 'Hands of Stone', even knocking down the ultra-tough Brazilian slugger.

Stephen Loman is wise not to underestimate the former world champion come ONE on Prime Video 4.