“The Silencer” has had his fair share of highs and lows inside the ONE Championship cage since making his promotional debut five years ago, but he wants nothing short of leaving a lasting impression.
Belingon — a Wushu Sanshou practitioner who prefers to clobber a straight right-left hook combination and throw hard kicks at all levels, but particularly to the legs — notched a first-round stoppage of Russia’s Yusup Saadulaev in October of 2012.
Belingon then thwarted Australian stalwart Than Vu in April of 2013 by delivering a high kick before unleashing a volley of power punches that resulted in a second-round finish.
He attained a highlight-reel knockout of David Aranda Santacana in December of 2013 when he uncorked a thunderous left hook that brought the Spaniard’s first ONE Championship outing to a dramatic and decisive close.
Belingon stressed that if the opportunity to score a finish presents itself against Tauru, he will not think twice about grabbing it.
“Of course, I want that finish. I am always looking for that.
“If there’s an opening to get the knockout or submission, I will go for that in a split second,” the 29-year-old said.
In his last bout, Belingon shied away from his relentless fighting style and resorted to a more tactical approach to get a unanimous decision win over Muin Gafurov last October.
Belingon stressed that he had been seeking an emphatic triumph over Gafurov, but the strategic nature of the bout did not give him the chance to do so.
“I wanted to finish Gafurov, but that’s not how the fight went. I needed another way to defeat him,” the native of Baguio City reflected.
From bell to bell, the one-time world title challenger banked on his lashing leg kicks and takedown defense to keep Gafurov at bay.
Belingon continued to dictate the pace of the match in the third and final frame, where he maintained his distance by consistently telegraphing his leg kicks while making Gafurov hesitate to cut the gap with his signature left hook.
Although Belingon’s method of defeating Gafurov was starkly different from his usual fighting style, he plans to win his fans over again, as the 5-foot-5 Team Lakay standout is known for his highlight-reel finishes.
“I always want to give fans an exciting fight and a good finish.
“Unfortunately, they didn’t have that in my last fight against Gafurov. In my upcoming fight, I’m going to give my best. You will see fireworks on the 21st of April,” he declared.
