Bibiano Fernandes books retirement fight with fifth showdown against Kevin Belingon at ONE 171
Former ONE bantamweight champion Bibiano Fernandes is set to end his career with a retirement fight booked against Kevin Belingon at the upcoming ONE 171 card in Qatar on Feb. 20.
ONE Championship officials confirmed the matchup to MMA Fighting with the 44-year-old Brazilian taking on Belingon for an unprecedented fifth time in what is now expected as his final fight.
A staple of the organization since 2012, Fernandes first captured an interim title in his second appearance with the promotion and he went onto defend that belt seven consecutive times. Fernandes dropped the title in a controversial split decision to Belingon back in 2018 but then got it back one fight later after illegal elbows led to a disqualification.
Fernandes defended the belt in a fourth fight against Belingon before ultimately falling to ex-UFC fighter John Lineker in 2022.
Now he clashes with Belingon for the fifth time with the longtime rivals looking to settle the score one final time when they meet in February. Overall, Fernandes sports an impressive 24-6 record with a career that first started all the way back in 2004.
As for Belingon, this matchup serves as his opportunity to get off a rough five-fight skid, which includes two losses to Fernandes along the way.