“There is a natural process” - Brazilian legend Bibiano Fernandes wants more from this generation’s MMA champions

Bibiano Fernandes is arguably the greatest world champion in ONE Championship history, and he issued a stern challenge to the current generation's reigning royalty.

In an interview with ONE Championship, the Brazilian legend acknowledged that MMA is an ever-evolving sport, and with evolution comes a new crop of fighters that should always surpass those who paved the way for them.

Fernandes said the new world champions' legacies would be heavily measured on how long they've reigned and how many world title defenses they've racked up.

Fernandes said:

"There is a natural progress and process. They need to go on longer, to see how great they can be. You can’t skip it. You have to keep going for a long time to see how great you can be".

'The Flash' is undoubtedly a legend of the sport and he sits atop the ONE Championship record books with an incredible 11 world title wins in the promotion.

The closest fighter to Fernandes' mark is ONE lightweight kickboxing and Muay Thai world champion Regian Eersel with nine world title wins.

Fernandes had multiple reigns with the ONE bantamweight MMA world title from 2013 to 2022. He was also instrumental in helping build ONE Championship to its global presence today.

The former bantamweight MMA king now returns to the Circle when he takes on his old rival Kevin Belingon at the stacked ONE 171: Qatar card on Feb. 20 at Lusail Sports Arena.

Tickets for ONE 171 are available at Q-Tickets, and the entire card will be streamed live at watch.onefc.com.

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Bibiano Fernandes says Fabricio Andrade is a worthy ruler over the bantamweight MMA division

Bibiano Fernandes knew his time as king was past him, and he's proud to see current ruler Fabricio Andrade lord over the division that once belonged to him.

In the same interview with ONE Championship, Fernandes said he's happy to watch from the sidelines as Andrade takes the mantle of being the ONE bantamweight MMA world champion:

"The thing is, right now, everything has a process and progress. I built that division, and then [John] Lineker became the champion. Now, Fabricio [Andrade] became the champion. The only thing I can do at this point is watch. To be a champion for a long time is more than just that. Now [Fabricio] is the best, but there’s always progress".