Kevin Belingon thought he did enough to win final chapter of Fernandes rivalry

Former ONE bantamweight world champion Kevin Belingon of Lions Nation MMA felt he did enough to win his fifth and final fight with his Brazilian rival Bibiano Fernandes on the undercard of ONE 171 this past Friday in Qatar.

Belingon, 37, landed clean punches and leg kicks at Fernandes and showcased improved ground defense when the fight got to the ground. Fernandes stepped on the gas in round three and was awarded a split decision nod after fifteen rounds of action.

"I am disappointed because I thought I was ahead on the scorecards, but it is all [in the hands] of the judges so there was nothing more that I could do," Belingon said in an exclusive interview.

"I thought I have invested [on points] in the first and second round. It was like the scorecard was based only on the third round. There is nothing more that I can do."

Right after the bout, the 44-year-old former world champion Fernandes announced his retirement from professional mixed martial arts, effectively ending his rivalry with Belingon with a 4-1 record in the series and 25-6 overall MMA record.

—JKC, GMA Integrated News