Newly-crowned ONE Bantamweight World Champion Kevin Belingon of Team Lakay revealed the weaknesses he and his team saw in Bibiano Fernandes, following his split decision victory in the main event of ONE: HEART OF THE LION at the Singapore Indoor Stadium this past Friday, 9 November.
The 31-year-old Baguio City resident overwhelmed Fernandes in the striking department and escaped multiple submission attempts by the then-Brazilian champion en route to a victory after five rounds.
According to the Filipino striker, Fernandes is no longer the same martial artist that he was when they first met over two years ago.
“We watched his previous bouts. We noticed that he’s strong in the first two rounds, and he then fades going into the third. I think he’s on a decline because of age. He was better when I first fought him in 2016,” Belingon revealed.
“When I did ground-and-pound, many of my punches landed on the jaw, but he’s tough. When the knockdown in the fourth round came, I thought that it was the end, but he was saved by the bell. Bibiano is a really tough fighter and can absorb punishment,” he added.
In 2016, it merely took four minutes for Fernandes to submit Belingon in the opening round, but in the rematch, Belingon wanted to prove that he is a more well-rounded martial artist, pulling out all the stops.
“I wanted to prove that my grappling has improved. I was also more confident to do ground-and-pound when I was in the mount position, which was one of the techniques we practiced at the gym. I grabbed that opportunity when it came and then unleashed my powerful punches. It’s just that he’s good at absorbing punches,” he stressed.
“In our first bout, I charged that to experience. My jiu-jitsu back then was like for a grade one student. I had no technique and had no confidence should it come to the ground, so it was some of those that challenged me to improve our ground game,” he explained further.
Belingon concedes that Fernandes is not easy to deal with on the ground, but he pointed out that he was more than prepared to handle the situation if the bout ended on the mat.
“I was wary with his takedowns because there’s always a second attempt if he should fail to get it in his first try. When we went to the mat, he didn’t want to let go, so what he did was stay there and do ground-and-pound,” he bared.
“Each time he makes a submission attempt, there is a small window for me to escape. And when he tried to look for a submission, he always had a follow-up attempt. I was just able to match him when it comes to power,” Belingon continued.
Other than extensively learning jiu-jitsu since their first bout, Belingon also realized that he could match Fernandes on the ground in terms of power.
“When he took me down, I was able to assess his power and realized that I could match him in that aspect, so it gave me confidence that I could defend his submission attempts,” he shared.
However, what surprised the Team Lakay representative was the Brazilian’s ability to stand and trade with him throughout the night.
“We were surprised to see him match me in striking. In his previous bouts he went to strike and shoot, but this time he exchanged on our feet,” Belingon noted.
Despite the gruelling second encounter against Fernandes at ONE: HEART OF THE LION, Belingon did not mince words of satisfaction in having his hand raised in triumph.
“The outcome was so fulfilling. All the years of hard work had brought me into this moment. I am thankful for my coaches and teammates, who never gave up on me. This is for them,” he ended.
