Kevin Belingon will face Bibiano Fernandes for ONE FC title

MANILA, Philippines – Filipino fighter Kevin Belingon will have an opportunity to vie for a world title as he challenges Bibiano Fernandes for the ONE Championship bantamweight belt next year.

Although ONE has yet to publicly announce the championship clash, a reliable source within Asia’s largest mixed martial arts organization confirmed the fight booking to Rappler.

The marquee match-up will take place at He Long Stadium in Changsha, China on January 23, 2016 as the headliner of ONE’s 37th fight card and fourth venture on mainland China’s soil.

Belingon (13-4) was one step away from securing a date with Fernandes in 2014, but South Korea’s Dae Hwan Kim spoiled the Pinoy’s championship aspirations by submitting the highly-touted Team Lakay representative with a first-round rear-naked choke in March of that year.

The 28-year-old Baguio City native bounced back by scoring a lopsided decision triumph over Koetsu Okazaki in December 2014.

On the other hand, Fernandes (18-3) has successfully defended the gold-plated strap thrice since becoming the promotion’s official 135-pound kingpin in October 2013 when he outpointed then-champion Soo Chul Kim in a title unification bout.

Aside from his two-year reign as the ONE bantamweight titleholder, the 35-year-old Brazilian is also riding high on a ten-fight winning streak that included notable victories over Antonio Banuelos, Okazaki, Masakatsu Ueda and Kim.

Fernandes, who turned down a lucrative offer from the Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2012 to sign with ONE, was last seen in action when he knocked out Finland’s Toni Tauru with one punch this past July.

With the implementation of ONE’s new weigh-in policy, it is still unclear if both men will compete at the original bantamweight limit of 135 pounds.

Rappler tried to reach ONE for clarification regarding the matter, but ONE has not released a statement as of this article’s publication. – Rappler.com