MMA star Bibiano Fernandes and fledgling Asian MMA promotion ONE Fighting Championship appear to be a perfect match for each other. Even if that only lasts for one fight.
The 32-year-old Fernandes, who headlines the Singapore-based organization’s fifth show ONE FC: Pride of Nation in Manila, Philippines against Gustavo Falciroli on Friday, built a name for himself fighting for most of his career in Japan. Joining the Dream organization in March 2009, the Brazilian who now calls Vancouver home reeled off four quick victories to capture the featherweight Grand Prix title and become the organization’s first 145-pound champion.
He beat Japanese favourites Masakazu Imanari and Hiroyuki Takaya in the process, and really captured the interest of the fans overseas with his strong grappling skills. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt then successfully defended his belt with a split-decision victory over Joachim Hansen before losing it in a rematch with Takaya at the 2010 New Year’s Eve show.
After nine months off, he returned to Dream, this time entering the bantamweight Grand Prix, and he won his opening bout with a bang submitting Takafumi Otsuka in 41 seconds. He followed that with two wins on Dec. 31, 2011 to become Dream’s first 135-pound title-holder.
Unfortunately, with Japanese MMA struggling, Dream went bankrupt in mid 2012, leaving Fernandes without a fighting home. In June, it was oddly reported that he had signed with the UFC but had to pull out of a fight at the July show in Calgary against Roland Delorme with an injury, only to have Fernandes post on his Facebook page that he had had negotiations with the UFC but had never actually signed a contract.
Instead, Fernandes (11-3) found what he was looking for with the fast-growing ONE FC, which has seen massive growth in the continent in just one year since it launched with its first event on Sept. 3, 2011. With Fernandes’ fan base and success in the region, he naturally seemed like a coveted talent for the promotion, but according to Canadian-born ONE FC president Victor Cui, it had more to do with the organization’s philosophy and what they can offer fighters that perhaps the UFC cannot.
“I can’t speak for (Fernandes) but I can tell you what ONE FC’s philosophy is and how we approach fighters,” Cui said in a phone interview with sportsnet.ca. “I talk to every single one of the fighters, I know our fighters, I listen to them and I understand and try to understand what’s important for them in the cage and outside of the cage.
“For Bibiano, he is a superstar in Asia. I mean a superstar. He is the Dream world champion. He is pound for pound one of the most exciting fighters that have come around in years in Japan — you don’t want to walk around with that guy because it gets insane around him. … When he wanted to sign with ONE FC, it had nothing to do with (how much) money (we could offer him). It was about priorities. He said, ‘Victor, I have a kid, my wife is giving birth in September, I need a payday, I need a guaranteed fight before my wife gives birth and then after that I need maybe six months off to take care and focus on my family.'”
Cui said that wasn’t exactly what you want to hear as a promoter. But he also knew that such agreement could still be mutually beneficial from a business standpoint, and he was also able to relate to him from a personal point of view.
“I’m a father, I’ve got two kids myself, so I said, ‘Okay let’s think about it, talk about it and we’ll come back to you.’ And we came back and said ‘Yeah, I understand, we’ll guarantee you a fight, come and fight on our Manila card, we’ll juggle it around, we’ll accommodate you, put you on there, showcase it, and then go focus on your family, go back to Vancouver, take care of the wife, take care of the newborn baby and enjoy being a father. I respect that, I admire that, focus on that. When you’re ready to come back, ONE FC’s your family, your home, and we’ll put you back fighting and active again.'”
That means that Friday’s main event fight, which will likely air sometime before noon in most parts of Canada as the event kicks off at 8:30 a.m. ET, could be Fernandes’ only fight for a while, and a rare chance for MMA fans to see the explosive bantamweight. But it could also be the opening of a different door for fighters looking for an alternative from the UFC. A different culture, and not just in terms of the continent.
As for the matchup against the Falciroli, who is a champion in Australia, Cui was very excited.
“I think that’s probably one of the biggest bantamweight fights in Asia this year,” he said. “It’s an absolute thriller. These guys are fast, they’re quick, they’re naturally gifted athletes. Both really want to have a win, both see their home in ONE FC and are excited to be here and excited to be fighting in front of such a huge audience.”
Also on the card is a matchup of two former UFC heavyweight champions Andrei Arlovski and Tim Sylvia, who have met three times before, all for the title, with Sylvia winning the last two times in 2006.
And the co-main event has local fighter Eduard Folayang taking on Felipe Enomoto. Folayang is not well known internationally, but in his home country, he is referred to by the media as the “Manny Pacquiao of MMA.”
“He is a Filipino champion who is one of the biggest fan favourites in Asia, he walks around shopping malls here in the Philippines and he gets swarmed for pictures. They love him,” Cui said.
Add to that veteran and former UFC champion Jens Pulver facing rising undefeated Filipino star Eric Kelly, longtime American fighter Phil Baroni fighting on the undercard, and three members of “The Royal Family of MMA” in competition — Rolles, Igor and Gregor Gracie — and there’s quite a bit to showcase, just in case it is a while before (or if) Fernandes returns.
“This card is probably the best card that ONE FC has ever put together,” Cui said.
