Bibiano Fernandes ends rivalry vs Kevin Belingon with split decision

Former ONE bantamweight world champion Bibiano Fernandes escaped with a split decision nod over Kevin Belingon of Lions Nation MMA on the undercard of ONE 171 on early Friday (Philippine time) at Lusail Sports Arena in Qatar.

Belingon opened the bout with leg kicks that found its mark in the opening minute of the contest before getting taken down and pinned to the side of the cage by Fernandes.

They soon found themselves on their feet exchanging strikes until Fernandes scored another takedown for another scramble.

A front kick on top from Belingon caught Fernandes' attention in round two. Fernandes took the fight to the mat only for the Filipino to stand again and stun him with punches.

Belingon dazzled Fernandes with an overhand right in round three. Fernandes pressed the action, throwing his patented right straight and jab that kept the Filipino at bay.

With a little more than a minute left in the third and final round, Fernandes went for another takedown though unable to get a tap before the final bell.

Two of the three judges saw the fight for Fernandes after three five-minute rounds, ending his epic rivalry with Belingon with a 4-1 score in the series.

Fernandes, touted as the most dominant world champion in ONE Championship history, announced his retirement from mixed martial arts after the fight. He went out with a 25-6 record at 44 years old.

—JKC, GMA Integrated News