Bibiano
Fernandes will call it a career in February, but not before he
squares off against Kevin
Belingon one more time.
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The fifth meeting between Fernandes and Belingon was among a trio
of new bouts recently announced for
ONE 171: Qatar on Feb. 20. Additionally, former
KSW champion Roberto
Soldic will face Saygid
Guseyn Arslanaliev at 185 pounds, while Shamil
Gasanov will meet former ONE
two-division king Martin
Nguyen at 155 pounds.
The 44-year-old Fernandes is a former bantamweight (145-pound
champion) with the Singapore based promotion. He is 3-1 against
Belingon, most recently defeating his rival via second-round
submission at ONE “Century Part 2” in October 2019. The AMC
Pankration-trained Brazilian is on a two-fight losing streak but
hasn’t competed since November 2022.
A native of Manila, the 37-year-old Belingon has also been dormant
since November 2022 and has lost his last five professional outings
— all under the ONE banner. Belingon’s lone triumph over Fernandes
came in a title unification bout at ONE “Heart of the Lion” in
November 2018.
ONE 171 takes place at Lusail Sports Arena in Lusail, Qatar, and
features a 125-pound championship tilt between Joshua
Pacio and Jarred
Brooks.