Former ONE Bantamweight World Champion Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes expects nothing but the best when he tangles with no. 5-ranked Stephen “The Sniper” Loman in his return to the ONE Circle.
The #3-ranked bantamweight aims to get back to winning ways when he takes on Loman at ONE Fight Night 4: Abbassov vs. Lee on 19 November at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, and he knows that he can’t take the Filipino lightly.
“Stephen Loman is a great athlete. He’s in great physical shape, he’s a fighter who hits and moves all the time. He kicks a lot, throws overhands with his left hand, and moves a lot in the cage. He’s an excellent fighter,” Fernandes said.
All praises aside, the veteran will be fighting for his life in this match, as he’s coming off the worst loss of his career after getting knocked out by John Lineker to lose the ONE Bantamweight World Title.
With his back against the wall for the first time of his career, Fernandes promises to drag Loman into a scrap when the Circle door closes next week.
“On the day of the fight, I will be ready to face him. He’s a good athlete, and he can even beat me, but I’ll tell you something: He won’t win easily. It will be a war,” he said.
Fernandes expects this to be a good old-fashioned striker-versus-grappler battle, as he praised the Filipino’s striking power. However, he believes that he has the necessary tools to hang with Loman on the feet.
“My striking has evolved a lot. He has a very good striking game, he has a dangerous left hand, he works well with his right-hand hooks, and his straight with his left hand. I understand his game. He’s a dangerous guy, and he moves a lot,” he said.
Once it hits the ground, though, Fernandes believes it will be a different ball game altogether.
“I’m sure my grappling is far superior to his grappling. I’m sure he’s working hard not to be taken down, but I’m prepared and focused for this fight,” he said.
“I’m training a lot on my striking and my ground game. I’m going to test his grappling, his wrestling, and his striking. I’m sure I’ll have a good fight against him. If he messes up, I’ll finish him.”
In the meantime, tickets for ONE Fight Night 5 and ONE 164: Pacio vs. Brooks at the Mall of Asia Arena on 3 December are available at https://smtickets.com/
Also, catch “ONE Warrior Series Philippines” every Sunday night on GTV, the ONE Super App, and watch.onefc.com. Weekly replays air on Tap Go, ONE Championship Philippines Facebook, and ONE Championship’s official YouTube channel.
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