Former DREAM champion Bibiano Fernandes will make his ONE FC debut against CFC bantamweight champion Gustavo Falciroli at ONE FC: Pride of a Nation, sources told MMAFighting.com on Tuesday.
ONE FC: Pride of a Nation takes place Aug. 31st, 2012, in Manila, Philippines, at the same arena as Muhammad Ali’s legendary ‘Thrilla in Manila.’
Fernandes (11-3), the DREAM 2009 featherweight grand prix champion and DREAM 2011 bantamweight grand prix champion, made headlines in early June when he spurned a UFC contract to ink a more lucrative deal with ONE FC, after Zuffa prematurely announced the signing and booked “The Flash” to fight Roland Delorme at UFC 149. Fernandes later clarified the mix-up by saying he never advanced past preliminary negotiations with UFC officials.
The 32-year-old Brazilian has won 10 of his last 11 bouts, including a recent three-fight win streak punctuated by a dominant, title-winning victory over WEC veteran Antonio Banuelos.
He’ll now meet Falciroli (12-3-2), a winner of four of his last five, including a 72-second submission victory over Soo Chul Kim last February at ONE FC 2: Battle of Heroes.