World-ranked bantamweight Bibiano Fernandes apparently has a new home, and it’s not in the octagon. The 32-year-old Brazilian who was briefly announced as a UFC fighter before saying he’d never officially signed, has now reportedly inked a deal with fast-growing Asian promotion One FC.
One FC said that he has officially signed with them and will debut at an August 31 show in Manila, Philippines.
An opponent, however, was not specified.
In early June, the UFC thought they had reached a deal to bring Fernandes into the fold, and even announced a date and opponent for his first match, which was set to be UFC 149 against Roland Delorme.
Within days, though, Fernandes said that while he had been negotiating with the UFC, the two sides had never signed a contract, and he had instead decided to weigh multiple offers. At the time, sources told MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani that he had verbally agreed to a deal before backing out when One FC offered him a more lucrative pact.
The One FC announcement ends the speculation about where he’s headed.
Fernandes (11-3) has won 10 of his last 11 fights dating back to 2008, including victories over Joachim Hansen, Joe Warren and Masakazu Imanari. The last DREAM bantamweight champion, he is ranked by most inside the division’s top 10.
One FC, which was formed in 2011, has to date produced four events. The most recent took place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, last weekend, with Renato “Babalu” Sobral defeating Tatsuya Mizuno in the main event.