Bibiano Fernandes, Chatri Sityodtong, Kevin Belingon (©ONE Championship)
Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon, 31, of the Philippines reigned as the champion of ONE Championship’s bantamweight division from November 9, 2018 to March 31, 2019. He will face reigning ONE Bantamweight World Championship Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes, 29, of Brazil for the fourth time at “ONE: Century 世紀.”
The third time Belingon and Fernandes battled it out was at “ONE: A New Era” at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan on March 31, 2019. It was the Brazilian champion who controversially got the win when the Filipino contender, who was then the interim ONE Bantamweight World Champion, was disqualified due to illegal elbows.
To settle the matter, Belingon and Fernandes will have yet another rematch in ONE Championship’s second event in Japan. The Singapore-based martial arts organization’s chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong named the event “ONE: Century 世紀” because he wanted to “signify the greatest martial arts event in the last 100 years.”
Open workout
On October 6, 2019, ONE Championship held an open workout at the Bellesalle Shibuya Garden in Tokyo, Japan featuring select “ONE: Century 世紀” athletes including Belingon and Fernandes. It was part of the ONE Martial Arts Fan Fest.
“I’m very excited for this fight,” Belingon said during the event. “This is my fourth match with Bibiano. I think this fight will determine who is the true king at bantamweight.”
“I’ll do my best to emerge the winner of this fight,” Belingon continued. “I’m looking to end my business with Bibiano in stunning fashion. I’m super motivated to get the win here in Japan and bring the title back to the Philippines.”
Press conference
“ONE: Century 世紀” press conference took place at the Park Hyatt in Tokyo, Japan on October 10, 2019. It was attended by Chatri and ONE Championship Japan president Andy Hata.
“It’s an honor and a privilege for me to be a part of this historic event ‘ONE: Century,'” Belingon stated. “Getting to compete here in Japan excites me because of the support of the Japanese fans.”
“This is my fourth match with Bibiano Fernandes,” Belingon continued. “I trained very hard for this one and I encourage everyone to watch my fight and don’t miss this historic event.”
Fight night
“ONE: Century 世紀” is the 100th live event of ONE Championship. It features 28 world champions from across various martial arts and seven world title bouts in two full-scale events.
The first part will be broadcast live in the United States via TNT and B/R Live. It starts from 9:00 a.m. JST on October 13, 2019 or 8:00 p.m. EST on October 12, 2019.
Belingon and Fernandes’s fourth fight will be one of the three co-main events of the second part, which will be broadcast live across more than 140 countries worldwide and streamed to 2.6 billion potential viewers through the world’s largest television networks. It starts from 5:00 p.m. JST on October 13, 2019 or 4:00 a.m. EST on October 12, 2019.
Watch the “ONE: Century 世紀” press conference highlights here:
CONAN Daily 