Throwback fight; Bibiano Fernandes captures interim bantamweight world title with win over Koetsu Okazaki

Before he steps back in the ONE circle in a crucial fight this weekend, watch former world champion Bibiano Fernandes win his first belt against Koetsu Okazaki.

The bout took place at ONE: Rise to Power on May 31, 2013, in Manila. While coming off a loss, Okazaki had only fallen to the top competition in Asia at the time and was an established veteran in the respected Japanese promotion Shooto.

Watch how the fight unfolded below:

While the bout was for the interim ONE bantamweight world championship, Bibiano would go on to unify the title against then-undisputed world champion Soo Chul Kim five months later.

Formerly a world champion in the Japanese promotion DREAM, Fernandes fought for the interim belt immediately after his successful ONE debut against Gustavo Falciroli in August of 2012.

His fight at ONE on Prime Video 4 on November 18 against Stephen Loman will be the first time Bibiano Fernandes fights in a non-title bout in ONE Championship since August of 2012.

Fighting three rounds instead of five, he may get to enjoy pushing a harder pace than he’s grown accustomed to. Loman, on the other hand, is set to face the biggest test of his career against a former longtime world champion.

The event is live and free for North American audiences with a Prime Video subscription.

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Although in his forties, Bibiano Fernandes feels as young as ever

While most fighters begin to see a decline in speed and durability in their forties, Bibiano Fernandes feels entirely different ahead of his fight with Stephen Loman this weekend.

In an interview with The MMA Superfan, Fernandes explained a situation that exemplifies how young he feels even in his forties:

“Dude, it was crazy. Today, I took my son Elijah to the shop and a guy came up to me to speak with me a little bit. He said ‘Oh, you’re doing mixed martial arts, right? He asked, how old are you?’ I said, ‘I’m 42.’ He said, ‘What the fuck?’ 42? You look like you’re 25. How is that possible?’. I said, ‘I don’t know man, I think I took good care of myself. I have no idea. But that’s who I am.”

Despite dropping his last fight, the former world champion has a surprisingly low amount of mileage on his body. His recent loss to John Lineker was the first time he’s ever been knocked out or submitted in a pro-MMA fight and has only suffered five losses overall.

What’s more, is that he recently sat on the sidelines for almost three years before the fight with Lineker, meaning he relatively hasn’t been taking a lot of damage for his age.

Bibiano Fernandes returns this Friday against number-three-ranked Stephen Loman at ONE on Prime Video 4, live from Singapore. The event will be broadcast on Amazon Prime Video in US Prime Time.