Underdog Belingon couldn't wait for fight night    

A group of mixed martial arts fighters were walking in the hotel lobby with one of them nursing cuts in the face after suffering a first round technical knockout defeat the previous night. 

 

Despite the unfortunate loss, Filipino mixed martial arts fighter Edward Kelly was in high spirits, knowing he would soon bounce back from an unfortunate defeat plus he just earned a good amount of money from his fight to celebrate the holidays.

 

Coach Mark Sangiao, the head trainer of Kelly's renowned Team Lakay MMA training camp didn't make it to the fight so he had another fighter, Kevin Belingon, in his corner instead. 

 

Unlike Kelly who competed twice that year, Belingon last saw action in December of 2014. He spent time grinding in the gym, hoping that he would get a call to fight on the undercard of Vera vs. Parry (which was later changed to Vera vs. Cheng) the following month at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

 

Unfortunately, however, Belingon wasn't included in the undercard, marking a year where he's been off the cage. 

 

"It's going to be a sad Christmas sir, I don't have a fight this year," Belingon, who holds a record of 13-4, told this writer with a grin on his face. 

 

Still, there was a deep optimism in Belingon's aura, knowing that it's only a matter of time before he gets a fight. A huge one at that.

 

"I was told by ONE Championship matchmaker Matt Hume and ONE CEO Victor Cui that they're lining up a big fight for me," said Belingon. "I don't know yet against who and where, but they said it's going to be around January or February either in Macau or China."

 

Though visually not within his ideal fighting weight, Belingon was in no doubt in good shape seemingly ready to slug it out any given day. 

 

A few weeks later, in December, he finally received a notice from ONE Championship and it was even bigger than he anticipated. 

 

The 28-year-old Belingon, who is known for his explosive striking inside the cage, was tapped to challenge Bibiano Fernandes (18-3) for the ONE Championship bantamweight title on January 23 at Changsa Stadium in Changsa, China.

 

 

Late start 

 

Unlike many professional prizefighters, Belingon did not have the benefit of getting grassroots fight training in his youth. 

 

His love for martial arts was merely spent watching Bruce Lee movies, and he did not have the chance to train at any form of fight discipline until he was in college where he met Sangiao, who taught him wushu.

 

He jogged and honed his skills after classes, and during times when Sangiao wasn't available to guide him, Belingon turned to another Team Lakay standout Eduard Folayang to mentor him.

 

Belingon later found himself competing in the national circuit just two months under the tutelage of Sangiao, racking up around 20 amateur fights under his belt. 

 

Belingon is a graduate of BS Criminology at the University of Cordilleras, but the more he trained and fought, the more he realized that what he wants to do for a living is to fight professionally in mixed martial arts.

 

"I discovered within myself that martial arts happens to be my real passion," says Belingon. 

 

"I used to fight [in the amateurs] then go to school later in the day. The more I trained and fought, the more it became clear that professional mixed martial arts is the career path I want to take. The moment I graduated and had a diploma, I already knew for myself that this is what I want."

 

After much encouraging and motivation from his coach, Belingon finally made his professional MMA debut in 2007. 

 

He tore his competition apart left, right and center piling a 9-0 start in his MMA career. He also became a champion in the URCC, the country's premiere local MMA promotion where he made a reputation of being one of the most prolific strikers the Philippines has ever produced.

 

Super work ethic

 

Mark Sangiao was a professional MMA fighter himself before he became a full time trainer at Team Lakay. Of all people, Sangiao knows firsthand if a fighter's talent is legitimate. The Team Lakay head coach was faced with a decision if he would allow Belingon to fight for the URCC flyweight title against a more seasoned fighter in his professional debut. 

 

While most coaches would think twice, and most likely turn down such offer, Sangiao simply believed in his fighter's chances as he still clearly recall what it's like to tangle against someone like Belingon. 

 

"I was still fighting during that time [when Belingon made his debut] and Kevin was one of my sparring partners," recalls Sangiao. "I knew right then and there that he was ready to not just turn professional but also challenge for a title."

 

Sangiao's assessment turned out to be right after Belingon defeated the then unbeaten URCC flyweight champion Richard Lasprilla by majority decision. What separates Belingon from other fighters, according to Sangiao, is the former's second to none work ethics and hunger which he believes would play a role in the upcoming fight.

 

They do endurance drills and uphill sprints on Mondays, spar and hone their technique on Tuesdays, perform strength and conditioning exercises on Thursdays, improve their skill set and endurance on Fridays then spar again on Saturdays. It's surely not easy being a Team Lakay fighter, but their team didn't make a reputation of being the best MMA camp in the Philippines by taking it easy.

 

"Kevin works so hard, too hard in training you'll never see him take a day off. He has the right discipline and attitude and he never complains," says Sangiao.

 

"Bibiano is a terrific fighter, he has an excellent ground game and improved striking but Kevin is very hungry to win this fight and become champion. The entire team is eager to see him wear that strap. He is 100 percent ready we're just waiting for fight night."

 

Underdog

 

Despite his all action, exciting style, Belingon is pegged as the underdog against Fernandes. 

 

Renowned for his boxing skills and high level ground game, Fernandes, a Jiu-Jitsu black belt, is seen as one of the most well rounded fighters in the world of mixed martial arts today. 

 

Fernandes last lost in 2010, but is on a ten-fight winning streak and is yet to taste defeat inside the ONE Championship cage. Be it going the distance, winning by knockout or submission, Fernandes had proved over the years that he's capable of pulling off a win no matter what when everything is said and done.

 

But Belingon is confident of his chances, he believes not only in himself but also in the kind of training camp he's gone through. He even cites how training camp is oftentimes harder than the fight itself. With its gym located in the heart of Baguio City, Team Lakay fighters automatically enjoy the benefits of high altitude training.

 

With less than a week to go before fight night, Belingon feels primed and ready to shock the world as he looks to beat the odds one more time and bring home the championship gold to the Philippines. He may have not gotten the 2015 Christmas he had hoped for, but Christmas surely came way early for him this year. Belingon expressed his utmost gratitude to the promotion for giving him a title shot and a handsome payday which he says he's very "happy" with.

 

"I think this will be a very exciting fight. I know he's [Fernandes] a great fighter but this is the most intense training I've ever had and I will do everything to win," said Belingon. 

 

"I expect that this fight is going to be a war. I will do my best to force him to stand and strike with me. I'll even look to get a knockout because that's the safest way to secure a win." — APG, GMA News

 

 

JM Siasat is a sportswriter, co-anchor of Fight News Hour on Sports Radio 918khz, a former amateur boxer, and a student of the sweet science.