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Bibiano Fernandes advised his fans to "never give up in life" following his emotional retirement from MMA.
On February 20, Fernandes fought Kevin Belingon for the first time in ONE Championship at ONE 171: Qatar.
The entertaining battle ended with Fernandes emerging victorious by unanimous decision, extending his record against Belingon to 4-1.
Shortly after getting his hand raised, the former 11x ONE bantamweight MMA world champion confirmed the reports of his last fight being at ONE 171.
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During the post-event press conference, the Brazilian MMA legend offered the following advice to fans worldwide:
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"Never give up in life. It doesn't matter how hard life is. It doesn't matter how difficult life is. Never give up. I lost my mother when I was seven years old, and my father had to throw me to the jungle, and I had to go through a lot of stuff in my life, but one thing alone in life is, never give up, man, never give up. Keep moving, keep it going."
Bibiano Fernandes wasn't the only former MMA world champion to retire at ONE 171: Qatar on February 20.
Later in the night, former two-division MMA king Martin Nguyen announced his retirement following a unanimous decision loss against Shamil Gasanov.
The replay of ONE 171, including the retirement speeches from Fernandes and Nguyen, can be seen via the promotion's YouTube channel.
Bibiano Fernandes' legacy in ONE Championship
Bibiano Fernandes made his ONE Championship debut in August 2012 as a fighter to watch in the bantamweight MMA division.
Over the next six years, 'The Flash' established a 10-0 promotional record, including several impressive title defenses.
In October 2019, Fernandes officially avenged one of his three losses in ONE with a second-round submission against Kevin Belingon.
Fernandes' only unavenged defeats in the promotion were against world-class bantamweight John Lineker and Stephen Loman.
Fernandes retired from MMA with a 25-6 professional record, including a 13-3 run under the ONE Championship banner.
Few ONE Championship fighters have built a world-championship resume better than Fernandes. The Brazilian legend will go down in record books as a pioneer of the ONE bantamweight MMA division.
