 |
| Bibiano Fernandes called it a career after his win against Kevin Belingon. ONE Championship (file photo) |
MANILA--One of Brazil's top mixed martial arts fighters bid farewell from the sport in winning fashion as Bibiano Fernandes beat longtime rival Kevin Belingon at ONE 171 early Friday (Philippine Time) at the Lusail Sports Arena in Qatar.
In their fifth and final clash, Fernandes still got the better of Belingon following a close match that boiled down to the final seconds.
Both fighters, now veterans in the game, went back and forth in the first two rounds, but Fernandes shone brightly in the third round punctuated with a late takedown that minimized Belingon's movements.
One judge still thought Belingon did enough to win the bout, but the other two gave the win to Fernandes, who will finish his career with 25 wins against six losses.
Fernandes, turning 45 next month, also snapped a two-fight skid with the victory against Belingon, his fourth in their head-to-head clashes out of five.
Belingon, on the other hand, lost his last six bouts including the last three meetings against Fernandes as the 37-year-old ponders his next move to get back into the bantamweight division prominence.
.jpg)
