“I really need to win against Bibiano first” – Stephen Loman isn’t looking past his toughest opponent yet

'Stephen Loman isn’t looking past Bibiano Fernandes. Taking one fight at a time, Loman is certain that a win over ‘The Flash’ will earn him the respect that he deserves.

The Filipino is scheduled to face the biggest opponent of his career, former 11-time ONE bantamweight champion Bibiano Fernandes, at ONE on Prime Video 4.

The event is set to go down at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on November 18. An audience of 12,000 fans will be watching from the stands.

Facing a legend like Fernandes, who is No.3-ranked in the division, will be no easy task. All those years of hard work has led Loman up to this moment and he’s razor-sharp focused on taking one step closer to world title contention.

With no other fighter on his radar but Fernandes, the 27-year-old power-puncher told ONE Championship:

“I really need to win against Bibiano first, he’s not just an ordinary fighter. I also need to sharpen my techniques because I see that they [ranked opponents] have their own strengths and weaknesses. But if I get a win over Bibiano, I will prove that my skills are on par with his level already.”

Watch Stephen Loman train in the video below:

Stephen Loman is a multi-time Brave CF champion with extensive experience defending and challenging for a world title. However, he’s never felt the pressure of a high stakes fight under ONE Championship.

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Fabricio Andrade unimpressed with Stephen Loman’s latest performance

While Team Lakay has been raving about Stephen Loman, one-time world championship contender Fabricio Andrade remains unimpressed by his skills.

Rating the toughest bantamweights in the division, Andrade said he had high expectations from Loman considering his long and impressive pedigree in the sport. However, he was disappointed by Loman's last performance against Shoko Sato in March this year.

Stephen Loman and Sato went the distance at ONE X, and although ‘The Sniper’ won the bout via decision, Andrade noticed that he struggled to put Shoto away:

“He fought an old guy. Easy, you know. Before he fought Shoko Sato, I thought he was a good opponent. He came in with a nine-fight win streak, Brave CF Champion, I beat this [Sato] guy maybe two years ago and Loman fought him now and he couldn’t stand with him. I thought he could be a good opponent but after the Shoko Sato fight, honestly, he is not on my level.”

Check out Andrade's interview below: