Kevin Belingon made a long-awaited return to the ONE Championship Circle after more than two years, but his comeback didn’t unfold as he had hoped.
“The Silencer” fell short in the decisive fifth chapter of his heated rivalry with fellow former ONE Bantamweight MMA World Champion Bibiano Fernandes, who emerged victorious in their three-round clash at ONE 171 inside the Lusail Sports Arena in Qatar early Friday morning, February 21 (Philippine time).
While the bout marked Fernandes’ farewell to the sport, Belingon was determined to play spoiler. The Filipino superstar came out aggressive, landing spinning back kicks to the midsection and targeting his opponent’s lead leg with precision.
Recognizing the danger of standing with Belingon, Fernandes quickly switched tactics, securing his first takedown of the match-up.
But unlike their previous encounters, the Lions Nation MMA co-founder was well-prepared. He executed a slick reversal to return to his feet, resuming his striking assault on the Brazilian legend.
(C) ONEFC.com
As Fernandes attempted another takedown, Belingon countered once more, finishing the first round in a dominant top position.
The second round saw Fernandes persist in his grappling approach, but Belingon displayed impressive takedown defense, repeatedly escaping and forcing the fight back into striking exchanges.
With Fernandes unable to dictate the action on the mat, he had no choice but to trade shots on the feet.
In the final round, “The Flash” found his rhythm, landing clean punches in the exchanges and edging ahead.
As Belingon continued to push the pace, Fernandes made a split-second decision to take the action to the ground in the waning moments.
After a hard-fought battle, two of the three judges scored the contest for Fernandes, awarding him a split-decision victory and a fitting sendoff to an illustrious career. He retires with a record of 25-6.
Meanwhile, Belingon’s struggles continue. He now finds himself on a six-fight skid, dropping to 21-11.
The last time Belingon had his hand raised was in November 2018 when he unified the bantamweight titles by defeating Fernandes to become the undisputed king at 145 pounds.
(C) ONEFC.com
