Former ONE Bantamweight World Champion Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon knows what he has to do in order to finally move past the shadow of current title holder and old rival Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes.
The two are set to collide for the fourth time in the main card of ONE: CENTURY, which will be held at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan on 13 October.
With his career overlapping with Fernandes’ for the past couple of years, Belingon wants nothing more than to leave this saga behind for good.
“This rivalry has been going on for almost four years. Now I will maximize every opportunity that I see,” Belingon said.
“I need to end it if there’s an opening. This time, it has to be a clean one so they can’t really say anything.”
In their third match in ONE: A NEW ERA last March, Belingon was disqualified after he caught Fernandes with illegal elbows to the back of the head.
Belingon felt like he was controlling that bout before the disqualification, and it is something that he vows to pick up on that entering their fourth match.
“I need to be aggressive and much more confident if I want a clear win against Fernandes. It will be the keys to my victory.”
Belingon acknowledges the strengths of the AMC Pankration standout, but he believes that Fernandes doesn’t have anything new to show when they meet again in The Home of Martial Arts.
For the hard-hitting Filipino, It will be the same Bibiano Fernandes that will show up on 2 August. The same, yet dangerous Fernandes that he fought three times.
“Not to be overconfident, but I believe it’s gonna be the same Bibiano in our fourth match. Just like our previous matches, his ground game will be his main strength,” Belingon said.
Belingon will be ready and willing to take advantage of all opportunities.
“To be honest, I really don’t want the fight to go to the final bell. If there’s the opening to knock him out or finish the fight, I will definitely go for it.”