Kevin Belingon has nothing but praise and respect for his greatest rival Bibiano Fernades as the legendary Brazilian heads to the ONE Hall of Fame.
Former ONE Bantamweight MMA World Champion Kevin Belingon ended his rivalry with Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes after dropping a split-decision loss to the Brazilian at ONE 171: Qatar.
After Belingon’s narrow loss, the two shared a moment backstage, where they ultimately put an end to their heated rivalry after spending five fights and 14 rounds together.
While he was disappointed with how the fight turned out for himself, Belingon is ultimately grateful to have his career intertwined with Fernandes. In fact, they have an even greater amount of respect for each other.
“After the fight, I was pretty disappointed with the result. I definitely wanted to get that one, and I was one judge away from beating him, so that’s life. I was in the dugout, Bibiano came into the dugout. I approached him, congratulated him, and we just caught up with each other on life in general,” Belingon said.
“He told me he’ll be visiting me in the Philippines, in Baguio, if he gets the chance. The rivalry ended like that. We wished each other well. There were no hard feelings whatsoever.”
He’s also happy to be part of Fernandes’ story. The legendary Brazilian will be inducted in the ONE Championship Hall of Fame at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang on March 23 inside Saitama Super Arena in Japan.
Fernandes’ induction coincides with one of the biggest shows of the year, bannered by the showdown between Takeru Segawa and Rodtang Jitmuangnon in the main event.
Five world title fights across various disciplines are also slated for the card, making this one of the outright biggest shows in the promotion’s history. It’s a fitting time to induct ONE’s most dominant World Champion.
“I’m so happy for Bibiano Fernandes. He truly earned it. He’s one of the pioneers of this organization, he was one of the faces of the early years of ONE Championship, and he truly dominated the division for the longest time,” Belingon said.
“There’s no question about it. He should be there in the ONE Championship Hall of Fame. Just looking at his resume and his performances. There’s no doubt. I think he’s the longest reigning champion in the promotion. It’s only right for him to be in there.”
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