ONE 171 results and recap: Bibiano Fernandes vs. Kevin Belingon

For the fifth time in their respective careers, former ONE world champions Kevin Belingon and Bibiano Fernandes stepped inside the circle to close out their iconic rivalry at ONE 171: Qatar.

Round 1: Fernandes opens with an inside leg kick and Belingon fires one right back. Belingon lands a nice spinning back kick as Fernandes tries to close the distance. Belingon swings big prompting Fernandes to change levels and shoot for a single leg. Fernandes gets the takedown, but Belingon scrambles and gets on top. Belingon lands some ground and pound strikes before Fernandes bucks his way back up and separates.

Belingon lunges in looking to land a right hand to the body. Fernandes goes for another single leg, but Belingon defends and stays upright. Belingon lands another nice leg kick. Fernandes punches his way for another takedown attempt and presses Belingon against the fence. Fernandes gets his man down to the mat with just under two minutes to go in the round.

Fernandes settles into half guard, but Belingon reverses position and ends the round on top, much to the delight of the live crowd.

Round 2: Belingon lands a front kick to the chin of Fernandes and ‘The Flash’ comes rushing in with another takedown attempt. Fernandes scores with the single let once again, putting Belingon on the mat in the middle of the circle. Fernandes gets into side control and fishes for a straight armlock. Belingon rolls away and gets back to his feet.

Once upright, Belingon’s confidence is beginning to build as he starts to bring the pressure and light up Fernandes with a few more stiff calf kick. Fernandes is beginning to slow down as Belingon unleashes a left followed by a right. Fernandes comes back with a right over the top. Fernandes punches his way in for another takedown attempt, but Belingon reverses it and presses ‘The Flash’ against the fence before separating.

Fernandes is desperately looking for another takedown, but Belingon shrugs it off with ease. Belingon lands another calf kick. Fernades ties up with a few seconds left on the clock and looks to drag Belingon down to the mat, but ‘The Silencer’ defends and stay upright through the bell.

Round 3: Fernandes lefts a stiff jab, but it’s Belingon who starts swinging away, peppering his opponent with a flurry of strikes. Fernandes connects with a right hand that knocks Belingon’s mouthpiece out of his mouth. Both fighters trade overhand rights and Belingon appears to be showing some damage under his right eye. Belingon lands a jab that snaps the head back of Fernandes.

‘The Flash’ shoots for a takedown, but Belingon slips out of the way as we hit the halfway point of the round. Fernandes calls for Belingon to fight as ‘The Silencer’ continues to dance around the outer part of the circle. Fernandes shoots for a takedown and digs in for a single leg against the fence. Fernandes gets Belingon to the mat with just over a minute to go, landing in side control. With the clock winding down, Fernandes is content to maintain top control and land some ground-and-pound strikes until the final bell sounds.

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ONE 171: Qatar - Bibiano Fernandes vs. Kevin Belingon Official Result

After three intense rounds of back-and-forth action, Bibiano Fernandes was revealed as the winner, scoring a split-decision victory over his greatest rival.

With the win, ‘The Flash’ closed out his iconic mixed martial arts career with 25 total wins, 13 of them coming under the ONE Championship banner.

Speaking with Mitch Chilson inside the cage, Fernandes confirmed that this would be the final fight of his illustrious career. ‘The Flash’ laid down his gloves on the mat and showed his appreciation for ONE Championship and the promotion’s CEO, Chatri Sityodtong.

Official Result: Bibiano Fernandes defeated Kevin Belingon via split decision (MMA - bantamweight)