Tag: ONE Championship

Last time, Kevin Belingon didn’t survive the first round.

But a tougher and faster Belingon is adamant things will be different against Bibiano Fernandes the second time around.

“I’m very, very confident,” Belingon said ahead of next month’s bantamweight title unification bout at ONE: HEART OF THE LION in Singapore.

“I believe that my training, my skills are better than him, so I’m very confident I’m going to win this fight.”

Back on January 23, 2016 in their bantamweight title bout at ONE: DYNASTY OF CHAMPIONS in China, Belingon threw the first punch but was put on his back by Fernandes.

Fernandes gained side control, latched onto the left arm of Belingon and secured the bout-ending kimura 4:04 into the opening round.

But since that devastating loss, Belingon has gone on a tear, winning his past six bouts.

The Filipino has taken the prized scalps of Muin Gafurov, Toni Tauru, Reece McLaren, Kevin Chung, Andrew Leone and Martin Nguyen en route to another title shot.

In his last contest against Australian Nguyen, Belingon secured the interim bantamweight strap and forced a rematch against Brazilian Fernandes.

And now Belingon is a “completely different” competitor.

“My BJJ before was very weak but I have focused on my wrestling and grappling techniques, so my BJJ is much better than before,” Belingon said.

“It’s much, much better. I’ve trained my hardest.

“I would like the fight to be stand up so I have the advantage, so that’s the plan.”

Fernandes is likely to work for another submission, but Belingon said he will be ready to counter the champion.

“It’s hard to predict this fight because Bibiano’s a tough opponent, but for me, I will try to dominate him and I will try to finish him if I get the opportunity,” Belingon said.

“If it goes five rounds, then I’m happy to fight five rounds. I’ve trained hard for this and I’m very confident I can go five rounds. I will try my best to win this fight.”

Belingon said a win over Fernandes, a man who he has “great respect” for, would mean “the world to him”.

“Beating Bibiano would be special,” Belingon said.

“He’s the champion of the division and beating him is hard and I’m going to have to fight well. But I’ve worked hard for this one and I really want to win this belt.

The post Belingon Confident Of Settling Score With Fernandes appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Hard work brings rewards, and for Malaysia’s “Jungle Cat” Muhammad Aiman (5-2), the 23-year-old’s commitment to the grind has paid off.  

On the back of three straight victories, the ONE Championship bantamweight has earned himself a coveted spot at ONE: HEART OF THE LION, arguably the most anticipated ONE event of 2018.

Taking place on Friday, 9 November at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, the blockbuster card will feature a number of the promotion’s brightest talents and will be headlined by two World Champion versus World Champion super-bouts.

Aiman will be stepping into the cage against Japan’s Shuya Kamikubo (8-1-1), currently on a four-bout winning streak, and their anticipated bantamweight clash will be one of the opening bouts of the evening.

“I am really happy to be on this card and to be recognized,” Aiman said in a recent interview.

“ONE is recognizing me as a good fighter, by putting me on a card this big.”

The world’s largest martial arts organization has been receiving more media coverage than ever due to its recent acquisition of star signings Eddie Alvarez and Demetrious Johnson.

The upside of all this extra attention for the “Jungle Cat” is that he now has a chance to showcase his exceptional striking abilities to not only a massive global audience but also the world’s mixed martial arts media who will be attending the event in droves.

“This year’s been a really good year,” Aiman said.

“I have been pretty lucky with training being all good, and all the stuff I do in training I have been able to do in my bouts.”

Aiman’s recent outing inside the ONE cage resulted in a second-round submission victory over the formerly undefeated Chinese athlete Chen Lei, at ONE: BEYOND THE HORIZON.

“I was working on my takedown defense before that bout and was trying to win every second [of the round] and not give up position,” he said discussing the matchup.

“I knew he was going to come hard in the first round. So I just did my best in the first–round and thought about what I had trained for, our plan was to get him tired and eventually the finish would come.”

Aiman’s drive to continually develop himself as an athlete, as well as his natural attacking flair, keeps his fans in a state of suspense as to what new technique or maneuver the 23-year-old will unleash during his matches.

“I always try to show my style in the cage, that’s the way I train, and that’s the way I fight.”

It is this creative almost artistic aspect of Aiman’s game that gives his bouts a unique aura. You may not know what he is going to do when the cage doors close, but when it does happen; you will thank yourself for not missing out on seeing it unfold.

Aiman, who trains out of Bali MMA one of South East Asia’s premier gyms, has not watched any footage of his upcoming opponent. Instead, he trusts his coaching team to again come up with the right blueprint that will enable him to continue his good form and stretch his winning streak out to four.

In the meantime, Aiman continues to focus his efforts on becoming that little bit sharper that little bit quicker, the types of incremental gains that give an athlete an extra edge when competing.

Singapore may be known as the “Lion City” but on Friday 9 November it may witness a “Jungle Cat” that has everybody talking.

The post Malaysia’s Jungle Cat Muhammad Aiman Is Ready To Strike appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

He’s stepping onto enemy territory. But Amir Khan insists he won’t be daunted by the parochial Filipino crowd when he takes on local hope Eduard Folayang for the ONE Lightweight World Championship in less than two weeks.

In fact, the Singaporean sensation revealed he had been channeling his mind towards a pro-Folayang crowd ahead of their matchup at ONE: CONQUEST OF CHAMPIONS at Manila’s Mall of Asia Arena.

“I’m fighting against the hometown hero,” said Khan, who hails from the world-renowned Evolve MMA in Singapore.

“We’ve prepared mentally that the crowd is going to be against me and my body is not going to be in shock when I get in there.

“I don’t think it’s going to be any different because once I step into the cage I zone everything out.”

Beginning his ONE Championship career back in September 2014, Khan will chase his maiden world title on November 23.

And it’s all part of the 23-year-old’s grand plan.

“The first day that I signed for ONE Championship my goal was to be a world champion,” Khan said.

“I always said I would do it inside five years, I would win the belt, and so far I’ve predicted it quite well.

“I did national service for two years, that’s why I gave myself four or five years to achieve it because during that two years I couldn’t train full time, I was learning, I was young and there was so much to improve on.

“But right now I feel it’s my time, everything is going to plan. My timing, my skill, my mental preparation and everything. I’m ready to show the world that I’m a world champion.”

Standing in his way is a former ONE Lightweight World Champion in Folayang (20-6), who won the title against Japan’s Shinya Aoki in November 2016 before being dethroned by Australian Martin Nguyen a year later.

Khan (11-3) is chasing a third-straight victory, having defeated South Korean Sung Jong Lee in May and Filipino Honorio Banario last month.

“It’s definitely my biggest test because I’m fighting for a world title,” Khan said.

“Eduard is a top-level fighter and we’re fighting in his hometown, so that is the biggest factor for me.

“I feel whoever’s more willing to fight will win. We are evenly matched and I feel I have the edge on the grappling side and in the clinch.

“I’ve just got to counter his spinning attacks and long-range attacks and I think I’ll be fine.

“Eduard is not really a finisher. I don’t see him finishing me. I plan on finishing Eduard.”

The post Khan Prepared To Bring Down Hometown Hero In Manila appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.