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Bibiano Fernandes welcomes bout with Shinya Aoki, but only at 140 pounds
ONE FC has a superfight in the horizon, but one of the champions has his demands.
Bibiano Fernandes and Shinya Aoki, ONE FC bantamweight and lightweight titleholders, respectively, are interested in competing against each other inside the cage in 2015.
“It would be a great fight,” Fernandes told MMAFighting.com. “Everybody talks about this fight, especially in Asia. I’m here to work. I train hard to go there and fight anyone. I would fight him, I would fight anyone.”
In a recent interview to MMA Weekly, Aoki said he would agree to go back to featherweight for a fight against Fernandes, a former DREAM bantamweight and featherweight champion.
“If ONE FC wants me to fight Bibiano Fernandes at 145 pounds then I think that would be a very attractive fight,” Aoki said. “He is a champion and I respect him.”
“I do not want to give up my belt, but if ONE FC allows me to go to 145 pounds again for one fight before I defend my title next then I am happy to face Fernandes. Maybe he would be the best BJJ fighter I have ever faced in MMA, but Vitor Ribeiro was also a great fighter.”
Fernandes is all in for the challenge, but there’s a catch.
“If they could do a catchweight, like 140 pounds, and I would fight him,” Fernandes said.
The Brazilian jiu-jitsu expect, who is 9-0 since cutting down to 135 pounds in 2011, feels Aoki would have too much advantage if they fought at 145 pounds.
“He’s too big, has a bigger reach, so I would fight him at 140 pounds,” Fernandes said. “I wouldn’t fight him at 145 pounds. At 140, I would take it right away.”
ONE FC has a superfight in the horizon, but one of the champions has his demands.
Bibiano Fernandes and Shinya Aoki, ONE FC bantamweight and lightweight titleholders, respectively, are interested in competing against each other inside the cage in 2015.
“It would be a great fight,” Fernandes told MMAFighting.com. “Everybody talks about this fight, especially in Asia. I’m here to work. I train hard to go there and fight anyone. I would fight him, I would fight anyone.”
In a recent interview to MMA Weekly, Aoki said he would agree to go back to featherweight for a fight against Fernandes, a former DREAM bantamweight and featherweight champion.
“If ONE FC wants me to fight Bibiano Fernandes at 145 pounds then I think that would be a very attractive fight,” Aoki said. “He is a champion and I respect him.”
“I do not want to give up my belt, but if ONE FC allows me to go to 145 pounds again for one fight before I defend my title next then I am happy to face Fernandes. Maybe he would be the best BJJ fighter I have ever faced in MMA, but Vitor Ribeiro was also a great fighter.”
Fernandes is all in for the challenge, but there’s a catch.
“If they could do a catchweight, like 140 pounds, and I would fight him,” Fernandes said.
The Brazilian jiu-jitsu expect, who is 9-0 since cutting down to 135 pounds in 2011, feels Aoki would have too much advantage if they fought at 145 pounds.
“He’s too big, has a bigger reach, so I would fight him at 140 pounds,” Fernandes said. “I wouldn’t fight him at 145 pounds. At 140, I would take it right away.”
