Bibiano Fernandes poses with his ONE Championship belt. Photo: Press release/ONE Championship
Brazilian Bibiano Fernandes , former ONE Championship bantamweight champion , has announced that he is no longer part of the Asian MMA organization's roster . In an interview with the MMA Fighting website, he revealed that his contract ended in December and that he did not receive any renewal offer.
Fernandes, who is 43 years old and has a record of 24 wins and six losses, said he was not angry with the decision, but that he felt devalued by the company, which had not offered him any more fights in the last three years. He also stated that he faced many difficulties during the 11 years he worked for ONE and that he disagrees with many things the organization does.
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“I wasn’t mad at them. Do I think they could have offered me more fights? A hundred per cent. I was basically out for three years and they could have offered me more fights. I was a little upset, but that's life. Many people in the world work hard, give their lives for the company they work for and, in the end, the company owners say: 'Thank you for your work', and that's it. I was sad, but what can I do? Life goes on,” said Bibiano.
Bibiano Fernandes warns about ONE Championship
Bibiano Fernandes did not hide his dissatisfaction with the Asian MMA organization, which ended his contract after 11 years of partnership. The former ONE bantamweight champion, who holds the record for most title defenses in the promotion's history, spoke out about his departure and issued a warning to fighters thinking of venturing into Asia.
“In my run at ONE, I don’t think anyone will replicate what I did there. No one will defend the title that many times. I worked for them for 11 years. So many difficulties there, but there was a moment in life when I thought, 'No, wait a minute.' There are a lot of things I don't agree with, but I still had to go through. I'm a mixed martial artist, but they're doing business. They only think about business, you know? What can I do? Many athletes go through difficulties. If you are a fighter and are thinking about fighting in ONE Championship, brother, think twice before deciding to go there”, he concluded.
Bibiano had a long reign as a ONE Championship fighter, where he had 15 fights, winning 12 victories and suffering only three defeats. Multi-time champion in Jiu-Jitsu, the former champion is 43 years old and has a record of 24 positive results and six negative results.
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