Belingon welcomes 4th meeting with Fernandes, sees victory before DQ

MANILA—Disqualification is not the way a champion would like to lose his world title, neither a contender would want to become a champion.

But it is exactly what unfolded when Kevin Belingon lost his ONE bantamweight world title to his rival Bibiano Fernandes in the co-main event of ONE: A New Era last Sunday at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan.

The highly-anticipated trilogy between the two turned out to be as competitive as predicted, but a series of unintentional elbows to the back of the head of Fernandes put a halt to the action-packed contest in the third round

The 39-year-old Fernandes was unable to continue after the incident, and Belingon was shown the red card by the referee which ended the bout by disqualification. It was an unacceptable outcome for both fighters, especially that Belingon feels he was winning the contest before it was stopped.

"I was winning the first, second and third round, and then it happened. His head was moving while I was trying to rain down elbows. I never really intended to hit him on the back of his head," said Belingon

"I felt like he could have continued. Before the incident, I knew I had him hurt on the feet.

"He was able to hit me with an overhand right in the first round, but I was able to recover. But that was my fault, my defense was wide open. I got hit, but I was able to recover instantly."

The drama did not stop even after the contest, as Fernandes refused to accept Belingon's apology and the belt, citing that he does not want to become a world champion in that manner.

ONE Championship founder and CEO Chatri Sityodtong, who was equally unsatisfied with the outcome, stepped in to announce a fourth encounter between the pair after the bout.

The announcement was a welcome development for Belingon, as he thoroughly believes that a fourth meeting would finally determine the king of the talent-filled bantamweight division.

"I’m thankful to ONE Championship, especially Chatri Sityodtong for the immediate rematch. This is the only way we’ll settle the score," told Belingon. "I was so happy to hear it from Chatri himself. This is the best way to see who really is the champion." —LBG, GMA News