ONLY an injury will prevent bantamweight kings Bibiano Fernandez and Kevin Belingon in unifying the 135 lbs of ONE Championship.
Both fighters are set to square off and unify the bantamweight title on November 9 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore co-headlined by women's strawweight world champion Ziong Jing Nan defending her title against atomweight world champion Angela Lee in a supper bout.
Belingon, of the famed Team Lakay, made the date after disposing two-division world champion Martin Nguyen in their recent bout with a resounding unanimous decision victory.
Hailing from Kiangan, Ifugao, Belignon, 30, made his professional debut in 2007, winning his first nine bouts while capturing a local flyweight title.
After joining ONE in 2012, Belingon put together a series of tremendous performances, including several highlight-reel finishes, to earn a shot at Fernandes in early 2016.
Although the 30–year–old failed to capture the title, he has since been on a warpath back to world title contention, putting together a sensational win streak which includes huge knockout wins over several former world title challengers.
Belingon’s loss to Fernandes did not hamper his world championship dreams, and the road back to the championship picture was a long one for him, who had to run through a gauntlet of former world title contenders and a two-division champion in a just under two years.
Currently riding six straight victories dating back to October of 2016, Belingon has taken out the likes of Toni Tauru, Reece “Lightning” McLaren, Andrew Leone, and Nguyen, pretty much a who’s-who in ONE Championship’s bantamweight division.
“I have faced many tough opponents leading up to this interim title, and I believe I have earned my spot to face Bibiano again,” Belingon said to ONE Championship.
Fernandes of Brazil, is widely considered one of the best martial artists in the world bar none. He made his ONE Championship debut back in 2012 and captured the bantamweight world title in 2013.
Since then, Fernandes has remained unbeaten inside the ONE Championship cage, showcasing tremendous striking and grappling ability and an unwavering will to win.
Belingon and Fernandes were supposed to match – up earlier but injury by the reigning champion hampered the bout to happen with the Team Lakay fighter taking a detour en route to winning the interim bantamweight belt. (Roderick Osis)