ONE Championship chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong confirmed Bibiano Fernandes will be the second fighter inducted into the Hall of Fame, with the legendary former bantamweight MMA champion insisting he will not be making another dramatic comeback.
Fernandes first departed ONE on something of a sour note in late 2023, but came back to bow out on his terms with a final victory last week in Doha, Qatar.
The 44-year-old Brazilian picked up a split decision to go 3-1 up in his storied rivalry with Kevin Belingon at ONE 171, before laying down his gloves in the Circle.
Asked by the Bangkok Post if “The Flash” would join his good friend and training partner Demetrious Johnson in the ONE Hall of Fame, Chatri initially kept his lips sealed at the post-event press conference, but later interjected after Fernandes had answered a question from the media.
“I’ve just received permission from the marketing team to confirm Bibiano will be at Saitama Super Arena, to be the second person inducted into the Hall of Fame in ONE Championship. It’s a legendary career,” Chatri said.
“Bibi and I met 17 years ago. I was a cornerman for Shinya Aoki in Dream. Bibiano was Dream bantamweight champion, and we were sitting together in the athlete bus and we became really close friends from there.
“The name Bibi was born in japan, like the sport of MMA. So we felt it was a fitting end for Bibi to be inducted into the Hall of Fame at Saitama. It will be a magical moment – fans around the world, you will get another special treat, you get to say goodbye to Bibiano.”
Fernandes himself was full of gratitude when reflecting backstage at Lusail Sports Arena on his career, which saw him go 25-6 and 13-3 in ONE.
“The way I look back at ONE is to see how much it has grown. How much the love has been inside me for ONE. I really care about you guys,” he said, sitting alongside Chatri.
“Every time I stepped in the cage, I gave everything I had. I came to win and finish. But now it’s over, the only thing I can look back and say is congratulations to Chatri, on what he built for us, for each future champion coming in.
“When I first came here it was not like this. That makes me very proud. I was there for many years, and I helped to build that division. I built that for John Lineker, and for Fabricio Andrade, and for the next future champion.
“I’m very happy I did it. When I look back, I can say I did my job. People asked me ‘why did you come back?’ I came back because I love every time I fight here. I put my heart there.
“Thank you Chatri, thank you to every person who works inside ONE Championship, from the bottom to the top.”
Retirements in combat sports often do not last too long, but Fernandes, who is based out of British Columbia in Canada, is certain he will not be tempted back.
“I don’t think so,” Fernandes said. “I have got my school, Flash Academy Martial Arts, and I will make them the next champions.
“I will pass on my passion and my love. I’m not stopping fighting – I keep moving, just in another way. Life never stops, it continues. If I die today, life still goes on. I pass my knowledge on to the next generation, to the next champions.”
