Heart of the Lion saw a changing of the guard at bantamweight that few expected heading into ONE Championship’s latest event in Singapore over the weekend.
ONE Championship: Heart of the Lion in Singapore over the weekend didn’t have the main event fans were expecting. Yet it had plenty of action nonetheless. With Demetrious Johnson and Eddie Alvarez in attendance, fans were treated to a bantamweight clash between long-reigning champion Bibiano Fernandes, and Kevin Belingon.
The back-and-forth affair did not disappoint. ‘The Silencer’ Belingon had previously lost a title challenge to Fernandes, back in 2016 at ONE Championship: Dynasty of Champions. The Filipino fighter had not, however, lost since that night, winning six straight, including a victory for the interim bantamweight title against two-division champ Martin Nguyen.
That laid the groundwork for a rematch against champ Fernandes. And in a closely contested bout, Belingon was able to score the upset, earning a split decision victory at Heart of the Lion after five rounds.
In the co-main event, short notice additions Christian Lee and Kazuki Tokudome met at a 73kg catchweight. With just days notice (the pair were added after Lee’s sister Angela was forced out of her original main event slot due to injury), Christian was able to submit Tokudome via guillotine choke in the very first round.
Check out highlights of the action from Heart of the Lion below, with all credits to ONE Championship. For full results from the event, visit our Heart of the Lion results page.
