ONE Championship fighter Bibiano Fernandes has had a rocky relationship with the promotion and was unhappy with how his contract was handled.
Fernandes had an issue with his contract from 2022 to 2023 and was out of the cage for a year before his contract was renewed.
“I’m at ONE for 11 years, and every relationship has two sides,” Fernandes told MMA Fighting ahead of this week’s retirement bout. “I didn’t get into this organization yesterday, so Chatri and I spoke about that interview I did. We sat down and spoke. I said I was with them for a long time and liked ONE Championship, and I wanted to say what I was feeling.”
The fighter revealed he is now on good terms with the company’s CEO, Chatri Sityodtong, and was asked what could be done for him. Fernandes asked for a retirement bout to leave the cage with a win.
“I don’t think it was correct that I didn’t have a farewell bout,” Fernandes said. “I was there for many years and it wasn’t correct I wouldn’t get my farewell. When I was released from my contract, I was busy with my gym and had the [IBJJF] Pan-Ams coming, where I competed at. We kept talking, and we got to a deal. And the relationship is way better now.”
For his last bout, Fernandes faced and defeated Kevin Belingon via split decision at ONE 171. He hung up his gloves after 11 years of incredible sportsmanship and had much to say to his fans.
“Never give up,” Fernandes said. “I come from Manaus and never had many opportunities in life, but I made it happen. I jumped on every challenge I saw. People said I was crazy, but there’s a good and bad side of everything in life. I never quit, and stayed ready for war. You don’t see people fighting at 45, but I don’t drink and I don’t smoke. I dedicate 100 percent to gentle art and MMA. And when I’m done fighting, I’ll dedicate even harder to coaching and making champions in jiu-jitsu and MMA.”
Fernandes made a name for himself in the circular cage with 12 wins in 15 appearances, including 11 bantamweight title bout victories, but was let go after a decision defeat to Stephen Loman. Apart from his legendary rivalry with fellow sport icon, Belingon, Fernandes went toe-to-toe with Dae Hwan Kim, Koetsu Okazaki, Martin Nguyen, Stephen Loman, and John Lineker. Fernandes retires with a 25-6 overall resume and a 12-4 run in ONE Championship. Before joining the world’s largest martial arts organization, the 44-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) black belt competed for Dream, K-1, Raw Combat, and Jungle Fight.
