Kevin Belingon vigilant amid familiarity vs Bibiano Fernandes

TOKYO, Japan — In his fourth fight against Brazilian Bibiano Fernandes, Kevin Belingon is ready for any challenge he may face.

The Baguio-native is not letting his guard down, despite familiarity with his opponent.

"Syempre malaking bagay yun [familiarity] kasi alam mo na yung calibre niya... may idea ka na kung ano yung susunod na gagawin niya o ano yung palagi niyang ginagawa," Belingon said in an interview.

"[Pero] di natin alam, MMA nga. Ready tayo sa lahat," he added.

The Lakay fighter's bout against his storied rival is set to be held at the famed Ryogoku Kokugikan on Sunday in Part II of ONE: Century, with the ONE Bantamweight Championship belt on the line.

Their last meeting, where Belingon fell to Fernandes due to disqualification, was held in the same venue.

Belingon's career record against Fernandes stands at 1-2, but the 31-year-old says this fourth meeting will be their last, should he emerge victorious.

"There's no hard feelings para sa akin. Kung manalo ako rito, it will end my business with Bibiano Fernandes," he said.

Belingon vs Fernandes IV is a co-main event in the second part of ONE Championship's 100th show.

A Light Heavyweight title bout between Brandon Vera and Aung La N Sang headlines the fight fest.

--

Editor's note: The coverage in Tokyo, Japan was partially sponsored by ONE Championship to promote the sport. At no stage does the host organization have a say on the stories generated from the coverage, interviews conducted, publication date and story treatment. Content is produced solely by Philstar.com following editorial guidelines.