Photo from ONE Championship
TOKYO, Japan—Kevin Belingon felt he already had Bibiano Fernandes all figured out in their third bout on Sunday, so much so that he would’ve handled the Brazilian star had he not been disqualified
Belingon has a point after he came out blazing from the opening bell and quickly established control with his striking.
He did get caught with a solid punch on the jaw later in the first round but other than that, the Team Lakay standout was primed to prove that his victory in the second bout was no fluke.
“I feel that I would’ve knocked him out if not for the disqualification,” Belingon said in Filipino early Monday morning at Grand Prince Hotel here. “And I would’ve also won clearly had the fight went to decision.”
Belingon was issued with a red card in the third round due to illegal blows to the back of the head that resulted to an abrupt end to their trilogy.
The disqualification also led to Fernandes recapturing the bantamweight world title after losing it to Belingon by split decision four months ago in Singapore.
The unfortunate result also had ONE chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong ordering an “automatic rematch” between the two rivals.
“These are true warriors, two of the best bantamweights in the world and they deserve another shot fair and square to see who’s the best,” Sityodtong said.