Bibiano Fernandes (photo via ONE Championship)

By FCF Staff

ONE’s bantamweight champ Bibiano Fernandes wants to test his skills against his counterparts in Bellator and the UFC, and he’s more than confident he’d defeat both.

The 41-year-old Fernandes (24-4) has been fighting under the ONE banner now since 2012, and during his run, the Brazilian fighter’s won the bantamweight title twice. Recently Fernandes spoke with MMA Fighting, and while doing so, he called for fights with his respective champions.

“ONE Championship against Bellator, ONE Championship against the UFC,” Fernandes said, before referring to the UFC’s champ Aljamain Sterling and Bellator’s champion, Sergio Pettis. “That would be good, for sure. I’d break both of them, man. I’d break both champions. Right now, at this exact moment, I can defeat both of these guys.”

“I wouldn’t change my strategy to fight these guys,” Fernandes added. “Both have good jiu-jitsu on the ground, [Sterling] has good conditioning, and [to beat] the Bellator [champion] I would do my game, do what I do well. Fight well, strike well, take him down well, stand and bang. I have good game to fight these guys. I trust myself, my striking and my jiu-jitsu. I have what it takes to submit or KO one of them.”

Fernandes hasn’t competed since October, 2019, when he submitted Kevin Belingon. The decorated grappler has gone 9-1 in his last 10 fights.