MMA fighter Bibiano Fernandes is still waiting for a chance to fight fellow veteran Shinya Aoki, a match he has been interested in for a decade, and has expressed his eagerness to get back into the ring during discussions with ONE Championship.
A whole decade has passed and Bibiano Fernandes, the ONE Championship and DREAM titles holder, continues to express his interest in facing fellow MMA veteran Shinya Aoki. Fernandes first voiced his willingness to face this Japanese legend 10 years ago, during the time they were jointly reigning at ONE Championship. Both are currently waiting to schedule their next matches after their lackluster performance in 2022, and Fernandes, widely known as “The Flash”, suggests that they should finally square off against each other.
Fernandes has been eager for a match, leaving the ball in the court for ONE Championship. Speaking on his anticipation, he said, “I’m hungry to fight, and it’s up to ONE now. It’s been almost a year since my last fight and I’m waiting. They said they were going to give me Aoki but it’s been a while, so I don’t know. I’m waiting.” Aoki holds an impressive track record with 47 wins, 11 losses, and 1 no contest. Besides, he has held titles in ONE, DREAM, and Shooto. Some of his significant wins include victories over Eddie Alvarez, Gesias Cavalcante, Joachim Hansen, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Kazushi Sakuraba, and Eduard Folayang.
Fernandes, on the other hand, boasts of a 24-6 win-to-loss ratio and has the longest-running championship reign in ONE history with nine straight wins in the title matches. He managed to reclaim his title just four months after losing it in 2018, following that up with an additional title defense over Kevin Belingon. However, in March 2022, Fernandes lost his title to John Lineker and subsequently lost another match to Stephen Loman in November of the same year. Presently, while waiting for his first match of the year, Fernandes is engaged in launching his gym in Langley, British Columbia, Canada.
The seasoned fighter still expresses his desire to get back into the ring, stating “I’m the greatest champion in ONE history and I want to fight, brother. It’s up to ONE Championship now.” Despite the losses, Fernandes exudes determination indicating that his fighting spirit is alive and well.