Never let it be said that Dana White doesn’t listen to the fans. Well, the fans on Twitter, anyway. For some reason, White considers Twitter a separate portion of the internet. To him, it’s not the same as visiting The Underground or …
Never let it be said that Dana White doesn’t listen to the fans. Well, the fans on Twitter, anyway. For some reason, White considers Twitter a separate portion of the internet. To him, it’s not the same as visiting The Underground or any of the dozens of digital domains where hardcore MMA geeks reside. This […]
On Thursday, ONE Fighting Championship (ONE FC) proudly announced the signing of Dream bantamweight champion Bibiano Fernandes and lightweight champion Shinya Aoki. Both fighters were standouts from Dream and were the last champions in their respective…
On Thursday, ONE Fighting Championship (ONE FC) proudly announced the signing of Dream bantamweight champion Bibiano Fernandes and lightweight champion Shinya Aoki. Both fighters were standouts from Dream and were the last champions in their respective weight classes.
We take a look at possible opponents for the duo, who are set to make their respective debuts in ONE FC: Pride of a Nation in Manila on August 31st.
Japanese Shinya Aoki is a submission specialist who is opportunistic with his submissions. Boasting a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, 19 of his 30 wins have come via submission. However, he is coming to ONE FC following a TKO loss to Eddie Alvarez in April.
It would make sense for Shinya Aoki to face Zorobabel Moreira in the main event. Brazilian Moreira is coming off a knockout victory over ex-UFC fighter Roger Huerta via soccer kick. He is riding a five-fight winning streak, also defeating notables Felipe Enomoto and Andy Wang.
The only issue with a Moreira and Aoki bout is that they both train out of Singapore-based Evolve and might be hesitant about fighting a teammate. Perhaps debuting a lightweight championship and giving the fighters the opportunity to be the first ONE FC lightweight champion might be enough for them to accept the fight.
Another alternative opponent would be Ole Laursen. An accomplished kick-boxer, Laursen always puts on exciting fights such as his five-round war against Eduard Folayang in his last outing. Born in the Phillipines, he would have the support of the hometown crowd behind him in what would essentially a boxer vs. grappler match.
Bibiano Fernandes is the first, and only, Bantamweight Champion of Dream.
In Dream’s last card on New Year’s Eve last year, he defeated both Rodolfo Marques and Antonio Banuelos on the same night to be crowned champion. Hailing from Brazil and now fighting out of Canada, he is nicknamed “the flash” for his lightning-fast speed that has helped him defeat Joachim Hansen and Joe Warren, among others.
Two notable names stand out from the rest in ONE FC’s bantamweight division.
Kevin Belingon is the URCC Flyweight Champion and has a record of 9-1. Training out of Team Lakay in the Philippines, Belingon will prove a tough test for Fernandes. The other notable is Leonardo Issa. Issa defeated Masakazu Imanari in last Saturday’s ONE FC: Destiny of Warriors. A BJJ world champion, he displayed solid wrestling skills and a smart game plan to defeat Imanari via decision. With a record of 9-2, he is coming off a win, whereas Belingon lost to the aforementioned Imanari last March.
Both Fernandes and Aoki are huge additions to ONE FC’s growing stable of fighters, and it will be exciting to see how they fare on August 31st.
Reigning DREAM bantamweight champion Bibiano ‘The Flash’ Fernandes (11-3) has signed with the Asian based ONE Fighting Championship promotion. Officials with ONE FC announced the signing late Tuesday night on Twitter (@ONEFCMMA). – DREAM Champion Bibiano Fernandes has officially signed with ONE FC. He will debut on August 31 in Manila. This follows an earlier […]
Bibiano Fernandes
Reigning DREAM bantamweight champion Bibiano ‘The Flash’ Fernandes (11-3) has signed with the Asian based ONE Fighting Championship promotion.
Officials with ONE FC announced the signing late Tuesday night on Twitter (@ONEFCMMA).
– DREAM Champion Bibiano Fernandes has officially signed with ONE FC. He will debut on August 31 in Manila.
This follows an earlier report that Fernandes had reached verbal agreements with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. ‘The Flash’ was quick to put down the rumor saying he had been in talks but had not yet agreed to anything.
Fernandes will debut at ONE FC’s upcoming fith event slated for August 31, 2012 at the Araneta Coliseum in Manila, Philippines. The event will also feature the debut of reigning DREAM lightweight champ Shinya Aoki.
Fernandes is currently on a three fight winning streak which saw him capture the DREAM bantamweight strap as part of the promotions 2011 World Grand Prix tournament. ‘The Flash’ also captured that promotions featherweight title after another GP tournament but he would lose by decision Hiroyuki Takaya in December 2010.
Reigning DREAM bantamweight champion Bibiano ‘The Flash’ Fernandes (11-3) has not been signed by the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and will not be facing Roland Delorme at UFC 149. Despite news from the promotion that he was to face the Canadian fighter in Calgary, and then a report last night of his withdrawal due to injury, […]
Bibiano Fernandes
Reigning DREAM bantamweight champion Bibiano ‘The Flash’ Fernandes (11-3) has not been signed by the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and will not be facing Roland Delorme at UFC 149.
Despite news from the promotion that he was to face the Canadian fighter in Calgary, and then a report last night of his withdrawal due to injury, Fernandes has come out saying that he was only in contract negotiations with the top promotion and that he hasn’t signed anything.
Fernandes posted a statement on his Facebook page earlier today about the whole situation.
I would like to make perfectly clear the news concerning my involvement with the UFC. It was announced that I, Bibiano Fernandes have been contracted to fight for the organization at UFC 149 which will take place in the city of Calgary on the 21st of July. I would like to make it clear that I am not a UFC athlete as I did not sign any contract with the UFC organization. Negotiations between the UFC and myself did take place, however, we could not resolve the issues on the table and as a result we did not come to an agreement. The recent reports that have been circulating in the media are false, contrary to what is being said, I am not a UFC athlete. I am a family man before anything else and my profession as an athlete in this sport provides me with the ability and the necessary means to provide for my family. I did not find the terms set before me by the UFC beneficial to my family and as a result an agreement could not be reached and no contract was signed. It should be noted that the UFC is the largest MMA organization in the world however, my personal and professional obligations have brought me to the decision that I will not be a part of the UFC organization at this point in time. The day that an agreement is reached and the terms set forth are beneficial to both parties involved, I will have the most pleasure and satisfaction to fight for the organization while always representing my beloved country. In conclusion, I would like it to be known that I am still the Bantamweight Champion for the Dream organization. Last but not least, I would like to thank God and all my fans and hope they understand my decision.
According to MMAFighting.com, Fernandes has reportedly received a better contract from the Asian based ONE Fighting Championship promotion, but has yet to make a decision as to which promotion he’ll sign with.
If you were interested in our earlier article, check it out below.
The injury bug has struck the UFC yet again after an injury to bantamweight fighter Bibiano ‘The Flash’ Fernandes (11-3) forced the reigning DREAM champion out of his Octagon debut bout with Roland Delorme at UFC 149.
UFC 149: Faber vs. Barao is scheduled to take place on July 21, 2012 at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Fernandes had been one of the World’s top ranked bantamweight fighters not signed by the UFC at the time, so this injury is certainly a disappointment for fans of ‘The Flash’ who had hoped to see the Vancouver, British Columbia based fighter debut in Canada.
Fernandesis the current reigning DREAM bantamweight champion after winning the title last December in the Japanese promotions Grand Prix bantamweight tournament. He earned wins over Takafumi Otsuka, Rodolfo Marques and Antonio Banuelos to claim his second DREAM title.
The UFC has yet to announce a replacement for Fernandes.
Reigning DREAM bantamweight champion Bibiano ‘The Flash’ Fernandes (11-3) has not been signed by the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and will not be facing Roland Delorme at UFC 149. Despite news from the promotion that he was to face the Canadian fighter in Calgary, and then a report last night of his withdrawal due to injury, […]
Bibiano Fernandes
Reigning DREAM bantamweight champion Bibiano ‘The Flash’ Fernandes (11-3) has not been signed by the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and will not be facing Roland Delorme at UFC 149.
Despite news from the promotion that he was to face the Canadian fighter in Calgary, and then a report last night of his withdrawal due to injury, Fernandes has come out saying that he was only in contract negotiations with the top promotion and that he hasn’t signed anything.
Fernandes posted a statement on his Facebook page earlier today about the whole situation.
I would like to make perfectly clear the news concerning my involvement with the UFC. It was announced that I, Bibiano Fernandes have been contracted to fight for the organization at UFC 149 which will take place in the city of Calgary on the 21st of July. I would like to make it clear that I am not a UFC athlete as I did not sign any contract with the UFC organization. Negotiations between the UFC and myself did take place, however, we could not resolve the issues on the table and as a result we did not come to an agreement. The recent reports that have been circulating in the media are false, contrary to what is being said, I am not a UFC athlete. I am a family man before anything else and my profession as an athlete in this sport provides me with the ability and the necessary means to provide for my family. I did not find the terms set before me by the UFC beneficial to my family and as a result an agreement could not be reached and no contract was signed. It should be noted that the UFC is the largest MMA organization in the world however, my personal and professional obligations have brought me to the decision that I will not be a part of the UFC organization at this point in time. The day that an agreement is reached and the terms set forth are beneficial to both parties involved, I will have the most pleasure and satisfaction to fight for the organization while always representing my beloved country. In conclusion, I would like it to be known that I am still the Bantamweight Champion for the Dream organization. Last but not least, I would like to thank God and all my fans and hope they understand my decision.
According to MMAFighting.com, Fernandes has reportedly received a better contract from the Asian based ONE Fighting Championship promotion, but has yet to make a decision as to which promotion he’ll sign with.
If you were interested in our earlier article, check it out below.
The injury bug has struck the UFC yet again after an injury to bantamweight fighter Bibiano ‘The Flash’ Fernandes (11-3) forced the reigning DREAM champion out of his Octagon debut bout with Roland Delorme at UFC 149.
UFC 149: Faber vs. Barao is scheduled to take place on July 21, 2012 at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Fernandes had been one of the World’s top ranked bantamweight fighters not signed by the UFC at the time, so this injury is certainly a disappointment for fans of ‘The Flash’ who had hoped to see the Vancouver, British Columbia based fighter debut in Canada.
Fernandesis the current reigning DREAM bantamweight champion after winning the title last December in the Japanese promotions Grand Prix bantamweight tournament. He earned wins over Takafumi Otsuka, Rodolfo Marques and Antonio Banuelos to claim his second DREAM title.
The UFC has yet to announce a replacement for Fernandes.
ONE FC’s first event in Malaysia, aptly named Destiny of Warriors, will take place on the 23rd of June in Kuala Lumpur’s Stadium Negara. Headlining the card is a light-heavyweight clash between Strikeforce and Pride veteran Renato ‘Babalu’ S…
ONE FC’s first event in Malaysia, aptly named Destiny of Warriors, will take place on the 23rd of June in Kuala Lumpur’s Stadium Negara. Headlining the card is a light-heavyweight clash between Strikeforce and Pride veteran Renato ‘Babalu’ Sobral against Dream veteran Tatsuya Mizuno. We take a look at 3 of the fighters on this card who could make a huge splash in the MMA circuit with a win.
1. Adam Kayoom
Adam Kayoom is a pioneer in Malaysia MMA. Well versed in Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, he carries the burden of fighting in front of an expectant hometown crowd.
Having won multiple regional Muay Thai and Jiu-Jitsu titles, Kayoom makes his ONE FC debut against Gregor Gracie.
A victory against a decorated Jiu-Jitsu opponent with the ‘Gracie’ surname is a surefire way to gain attention from MMA fans, and Adam Kayoom has the opportunity to do just that. Kayoom would have to try avoid leaving his limbs or necks exposed, and might be best suited to try keeping the fight standing as Gracie has yet to show significant development in his standup.
2. Leonardo Issa
Brazilian Leonardo Issa is riding a 6-fight winning streak heading into his fight with leglock specialist Masakazu Imanari. Imanari is a Dream veteran whose leglock submissions are one of the best, if not the best, in MMA.
Issa is no slouch on the ground either. He has finished all but one of his victories, and most of them by way of submission. It will be a huge feather in his cap if he manages to submit Imanari.
3. Zorobabel Moreira
Granted, Zorobabel Moreira has been a name that is slowly creeping up in MMA circles, but a win against Roger Huerta will catapult his stock into a whole different stratosphere.
Moreira has looked impressive in his two previous appearances under the ONE FC banner. He has demonstrated varied striking to complement his world-class Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu accomplishments. His versatility was evident in his last fight, where he overwhelmed his opponent Felipe Enomoto with kicks and punches before securing the win via armbar.
Roger Huerta was at one time considered a future UFC light-weight champion. He has an all-action style that has excited fight fans all over the world. Huerta took a temporary hiatus to film the movie Tekken, and is in the midst of his worst slump in his career.
A victory over Huerta would gain Moreira worldwide exposure. He stands on the verge of becoming ONE FC’s first bona-fide superstar.
On Thursday, ONE Fighting Championship (ONE FC) proudly announced the signing of Dream bantamweight champion Bibiano Fernandes and lightweight champion Shinya Aoki. Both fighters were standouts from Dream and were the last champions in their respective weight classes.
