THEY ARE not called the king of rematch for nothing.
And Asia's best mixed martial arts team too.
Kevin Belingon and the rest of Team Lakay finally solved the Bibiano Fernandes puzzle after scoring a split decision on November 10 to unify the One Championship bantamweight world title at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
Belingon finally became a full time champion by exacting revenge against the Brazillian great in their rematch which nearly took two years to happen.
The newly minted Ifugao champion employed a terrific game plan, attacking Fernandes’ body with thudding spinning back kicks while connecting on fiery boxing combinations.
"Bibiano [Fernandes] is a very tough opponent, I really had a hard time beating him tonight. I respect him very much, and it is an honor to fight such a tough fighter. I know Bibiano is very tough, but I think I deserve this victory," said Belingon.
Fernandes did his best to take the action to the ground, but Belingon showed much improved grappling skills.
Belingon nearly finished Fernandes with a right hand that sent the Brazillian to the canvass in the fourth round after almost getting submitted with an arm bar.
"The game plan was to knock him out. We saw [a weakness] in his previous fight. I kept on giving him everything, but he has good defense," added Belingon.
Fernandes tried mixed it up in the fifth round with Belingon but the Team Lakay stalwart was able to hold his own and hand the Brazillian his first defeat since 2010 and end his 14 fight win streak.
Belingon thus improved to 20-5 and extended his streak to seven since losing to Fernandes in 2016.
The bantamweight title will also be Team Lakay's sixth championship in ONE.
In the co-main event, former ONE world title challenger Christian Lee gave fans at the Singapore Indoor Stadium a reason to celebrate after defeating Japan’s Kazuki Tokudome via technical knockout in the first round.
Legendary Giorgio Petrosyan once again showcased his exceptional kickboxing pedigree on the global stage, putting on a striking masterclass to defeat Muay Thai star Sorgraw Petchyindee Academy via unanimous decision.
Female strawweight contenders Tiffany Teo of Singapore and Michelle Nicolini of Brazil put on an absolute show to the delight of a packed Singapore Indoor Stadium crowd. For 15 minutes, Teo and Nicolini gave everything they had and left it all inside the cage.
While Nicolini showcased her world-class grappling, it was Teo who kept her opponent on the end of some powerful striking combinations. After three rounds of grueling action, Teo took home the hard-earned victory by unanimous decision.