Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon knows how important it is to come out of his storied rivalry with Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes on top, especially since this was the last fight he thought he’d be preparing for.
Yet, here they are again, the two former bantamweight kings ready to tangle for an unprecedented fifth time in ONE Championship when they meet at ONE 171: Qatar on February 20, 2025, inside Lusail Sports Arena in Doha.
Dominate – that’s the goal for Belingon as he wants to finish this series with his hand raised.
“In this fight, I don’t want to leave it to the judges. I have to get a clear edge and finish Bibiano here,” he said.
“If there’s an opportunity to finish, I’ll be taking it, but I won’t be rushing. I’ll search for an opening and take it from there. The most important thing is to stick to my game plan and dominate this fight.”
Such proclamations could raise the eyebrows of some fans, especially since it’s been a while since Belingon competed in MMA.
Still, “The Silencer” alleviated fears of his supporters, saying that he’s been highly active, especially with his grappling. After all, during his time away he focused mostly on jiu-jitsu.
“I know it’s been nearly two years since I last competed, but I’m alright. I’ve been really active in training, all of my teammates have been competing, and I’ve always made myself available as their sparring partner. So there’s no worries on my end,” he said.
“I got to focus on my grappling as well with Professor Gibran [Langbayan]. I’ve been working hard on my jiu-jitsu. I’ve joined and won tournaments in my time away from MMA.”
But for all the work that he’s done with his grappling, make no mistake, he’s still the same dangerous Belingon that endeared him to fans.
“Of course. I’m still the same. I’m still deadly cause I keep working on my main weapon, which is my striking. It’s something that I still plan on using,” he shared.
“This time around, I’ll be the one surprising him.”
