“It feels like a title shot again” - Kevin Belingon says he’ll go all out to spoil eternal rival Bibiano Fernandes’ swan song at ONE 171

They may not be fighting for gold anymore, but Kevin Belingon likened his unprecedented quintology against Bibiano Fernandes to a massive world title fight.

The former ONE bantamweight MMA world champions will clash for the fifth and final time at the stacked ONE 171: Qatar card on Thursday, Feb. 20, at Lusail Sports Arena.

In an interview with The MMA Superfan, Belingon said he'd treat his looming duel with Fernandes as if it had the stakes of a career-defining world title matchup.

Kevin Belingon said:

"It feels like a title shot again. If before, we always fought five rounds, I want to come in with the mentality that we’re doing 10 rounds. Bibi is still tough even now."

Belingon and Fernandes were two of the best fighters of their generation and helped carry ONE Championship in its early boom period in the mid-to-late-2010s.

From 2016 to 2019, the pair collided over the ONE bantamweight MMA world title, with Fernandes taking a 3-1 lead in their head-to-head matchups.

Fernandes secured first blood in their series when he beat Belingon via submission in January 2016.

Belingon then evened the score in November 2018 when he took a narrow split decision win over Fernandes for the ONE bantamweight MMA gold.

Fernandes ultimately chalked up two straight wins over Belingon in 2019 in Tokyo to reassert his dominance over the division.

Their rivalry would soon see its fitting end in Qatar, with Fernandes previously announcing that his fifth fight against his eternal rival would be the final match of his storied MMA career.

ONE 171 will be streamed live at watch.onefc.com.

Watch Belingon's entire interview below:

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Kevin Belingon proud to see his rivalry with Bibiano Fernandes end in Qatar

Kevin Belingon knew his legacy would forever be intertwined with Bibiano Fernandes'.

The pair shared one of the most storied rivalries in ONE Championship, and Belingon is proud that he would be the one to see his old foe into retirement.

Belingon said in the pre-event press conference for ONE 171:

"With the support of the Filipino community, I'm more excited and confident going into this fight.It's my first time to be here in Qatar, and everything is good. I'm ready for this one, and this is my chance to even the score with my opponent, Bibiano."