Over the course of the last eight years, ONE Championship Bantamweight kingpin Bibiano Fernandes has been on quite the tear. He went 16-1, won the DREAM bantamweight title, the ONE bantamweight title and defended that ONE strap multiple times.
To state that he is the best 135-pound fighter in the world would not be an understatement. However, UFC bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo would claim that he holds that title and then some.
Cejudo claims to be the best
“My name is Triple C,” Cejudo made clear after he won the UFC bantamweight title at UFC 238. “Olympic champion, flyweight champion of the world and now bantamweight champion of the world. I am the greatest combat athlete of all time and I just stole the title from the best pound for pound fighter too.”
Fernandes’ 2018 ended rough. He had his first blemish in over seven years, a split decision loss to Kevin Belingon. In 2019 he fought back to back contests with Belingon, earning a disqualification victory to earn his title back and most recently a second-round submission victory to defend that title at ONE: Century Part 2.
“I felt very blessed to finish the fight that way,” Fernandes said of the final fight with Belingon. “In that fight, I did not just fight Kevin, I fought the whole Filipino nation. I had to have my best performance that night and I did.”
Bibiano Fernandes Responds to Cejudo
To be crystal clear, Fernandes does not think Cejudo is the best bantamweight in the world. He feels to prove that, the two would need to square off.
“Henry Cejudo says he’s the best in the world, you know what? I’m the best in the world for many years,” Fernandes told MMASucka.com. “I am too humble to come out and say I’m the best, but the best indication is how many times I’ve defended my belt. I’m a multiple-time champion, five-time world champion in jiu-jitsu, three times as a black belt.”
Fernandes is a very humble, stoic character. To come out and claim he is the best, is something very out of context for him. He feels you shouldn’t have to do that. He feels that your actions in the cage should speak louder than words.
“The day of the fight is the big day for me. My mind is there, my skill is there and it will always show inside the cage.”
The fact that Fernandes is a warrior inside the ONE cage, there is likely no chance of seeing him and Cejudo squaring off, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to.
“I’d fight anyone in my weight class. If one day he wants to come to ONE Championship, then yeah. I don’t believe I will go to UFC, but if somehow we get to fight, for sure I would.”
