ONE 171: Bibiano Fernandes says it’s only fitting that the final fight of his career is against Kevin Belingon

Former ONE bantamweight MMA world champion Bibiano Fernandes will be riding into the sunset following his scheduled fight this week in Qatar. He believes that it is only fitting that it will be against Filipino rival Kevin Belingon.

'The Flash', who long held the bantamweight gold before losing it three years ago, is set to make one last appearance in the ONE circle on Feb. 20 at ONE 171: Qatar at the Lusail Sports Arena in Lusdail. He will be facing off against 'The Silencer' for the fifth time.

In an interview with the promotion, Fernandes, 44, pointed to his rivalry with Belingon, 37, and the history he has had with the Filipino fans as among the reasons for agreeing to the match at ONE 171.

He said:

"Let me put it this way. The other day, I was watching a fight between me and Kevin. I was watching that on Facebook, it just showed up and said it had 29 million views. That fight was watched 29 million times."

He added:

"I was here in Canada, had a stopover in Manila, before I flew out to Thailand. While I was in Manila, everybody came to say hi to me. For the Filipino fans, [this fight is] a hundred percent, yes."

Bibiano Fernandes holds the lead in his head-to-head matchup with Belingon at 3-1. His last victory came in October 2019 at ONE: Century Part II, where he won by submission (rear-naked choke), He was last in action in November 2022, losing by decision to Belingon's Lions Nation MMA teammate Stephen Loman.

Belingon is also back after nearly two and a half years since last in ONE Championship action.

For more information on ONE 171: Qatar, check out onefc.com.

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Bibiano Fernandes expects a tough challenge from Kevin Belingon at ONE 171

Bibiano Fernandes is expecting another spirited battle against Kevin Belingon at ONE 171: Qatar this week, especially since the latter is looking for some redemption after falling on the raw side in their last two matches.

He made this known in the same interview with ONE Championship, highlighting how Belingon remains a dangerous opponent and can only be expected to put up a tough stand.

The Brazil-born fighter said:

"Kevin is a tough dude. He's explosive and very dangerous. He has good power. He's been in ONE Championship for a long time as well. We've both been there for a long time. When Chatri asked me if I wanted to fight Kevin, I said yeah, let's do it. And that's it. I'm here now."

ONE 171: Qatar will be the final match in the illustrious career of Bibiano Fernandes. In ONE Championship, he has competed in 15 matches in a 13-year run so far, compiling a record of 11-4.