ONE Championship: Belingon ends Bibiano’s reign

by Brian Yalung

Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon got back at Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes, ending his reign with a split decision victory at ONE: Heart of the Lion held at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in front of a capacity crowd.

Belingon executed a masterful game plan, with the Team Lakay fighter repeatedly unleashing his spinning back kicks and boxing combinations.

Fernandes tried to take away Belingon but the Filipino showed improved grappling skills and would eventually find a way to escape the clutches of the Brazilian.

In the final round, Belingon admitted that he was still looking for the knockout.

“I was still looking for the opportunity to knock him out. But he (Bibiano) is really tough. So I just threw kicks and punches to gain points,” said Belingon in the post-fight interview.

In the co-main event, former ONE World Title challenger Christian “The Warrior” 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. Lee weathered Tokudome’s takedown efforts in the opening moments of the bout before landing a solid right straight that dropped his Japanese opponent to the canvas.

The legendary Giorgio “The Doctor” 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. Petrosyan overwhelmed Sorgraw with his world-class boxing skills, unloading a barrage of thunderous punches while also displaying impeccable defense.

Female strawweight contenders Tiffany “No Chill” Teo of Singapore and Michelle Nicolini of Brazil put on an absolute show to the delight of a packed Singapore Indoor Stadium crowd. After three rounds of gruelling action, Teo took home the hard-earned victory by unanimous decision.

Australia’s Adrian “The Hunter” Pang triumphantly returned to the winner’s circle with a technical knockout victory over Japan’s Kota Shimoishi. Unfortunately, Shimoishi was unable to answer the call for the second round, and Pang was awarded the stoppage win.

Two-division Lion Fight World Champion “Smokin’” Jo Nattawut overcame a tremendous size disadvantage to pick apart Scotland’s George Mann en route to a dominant unanimous decision victory. In the end, Nattawut’s clinical display of technical striking was enough to have his hand raised in triumph.

Three-time IFMA Champion Alaverdi Ramazanov of Russia made quick work of Scotland’s Andrew Miller, winning by knockout in just 57 seconds. As his cage counterpart pressed the action, Alaverdi patiently picked his shots before he drilled his opponent with a flurry of punches that ended with a well-placed right uppercut to shut the lights off on Miller for the victory.

Grappling superstar Garry “The Lion Killer” Tonon emerged triumphant in a featherweight contest against South Korea’s Sung Jong Lee. On the mat, Tonon displayed his dangerous submission skills, quickly and effortlessly locking in the guillotine choke to claim the victory.

Former ONE Strawweight World Champion Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke returned to his winning form against Himanshu Kaushik, submitting his Indian opponent with a rear-naked choke in the second round. After taking Kaushik’s back in the second frame, Dejdamrong sunk in the bout-ending maneuver to force the tap.

Official results for ONE: HEART OF THE LION

• ONE Bantamweight World Championship bout: Kevin Belingon defeats Bibiano Fernandes by Split Decision (SD) after 5 rounds
• Catch Weight bout (72.0kgs): Christian Lee defeats Kazuki Tokudome by TKO (Strikes) at 3:07 minutes of round 1
  ONE Super Series Kickboxing Catch Weight bout (71.0kgs): Giorgio Petrosyan defeats Sorgraw Petchyindee Academy by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds
• Women’s Strawweight bout: Tiffany Teo defeats Michelle Nicolini by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds
• Lightweight bout: Adrian Pang defeats Kota Shimoishi by TKO (Doctor’s Stoppage) at 5:00 minutes of round 1
• ONE Super Series Muay Thai Featherweight bout: Jo Nattawut defeats George Mann by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds.
• ONE Super Series Muay Thai Bantamweight bout: Alaverdi Ramazanov defeats Andrew Miller by Knockout (KO) at 0:57 minutes of round 1
• Featherweight bout: Garry Tonon defeats Sung Jong Lee by Submission (Guillotine) at 2:04 minutes of round 2
• Strawweight bout: Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke defeats Himanshu Kaushik by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 4:45 minutes of round 2
• ONE Super Series Muay Thai Bantamweight bout: Muangthai P.K.Saenchaimuaythaigym defeats Panicos Yusuf by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds
• Bantamweight bout: Shuya Kamikubo defeats Muhammad Aiman by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds
• Bantamweight bout: Xie Bin defeats Hisyam Samsudin by Submission (D’arce Choke) at 3:19 minutes of round 1
• Featherweight bout: Anthony Engelen defeats Meas Meul by Knockout (KO) at 0:39 minutes of round 1