With a title shot against ONE Bantamweight World Champion Bibiano Fernandes on the line, Kevin Belingon churned out his most impressive performance in his 23-fight career.
Belingon sent a statement with a decisive technical knockout victory over Andrew Leone in the main event of ONE: Heroes of Honor, Friday evening at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
This is the 30-year-old Igorot’s fifth straight win — his last loss coming at the hands of Fernandes last January 23, 2016.
Though the fight is billed as a title eliminator bout, Belingon is still leaving his fate at the hands of the brass of ONE Championship
“I’m just waiting for the decision of ONE. I’ll take whatever they give me,” he said.
The way he performed inside the ring though said otherwise.
Once the bell rang, Belingon was like a house on fire, throwing powerful punches from all corners that pushed back Leone. A takedown with 3:41 left resulted to Belingon gaining advantage before he peppered Leone with short elbows and huge knees that bloodied the American.
With a busted left eye and forehead, the fight was momentarily paused with two minutes left in the round.
But the finish was as brutal as the opening five minutes of the contest.
Fifty-six seconds into the round, Belingon blasted Leone with a spinning side kick that shot Leone to the other side of the ring.
“I saw him stepping back. When I saw the opportunity, I took it,” he recalled about the move.
Belingon took advantage of a reeling Leone, pounding him with multiple punches to seal the victory a minute and 27 seconds into the second stanza.
This is Leone’s fourth loss in his 12 fight career.
