Former ONE bantamweight champion Bibiano Fernandes has been dropped from the ONE Championship roster and has expressed disappointment over the decision, stating he was promised more fights and that the company failed to honor a contract clause promising him a desk job after retirement.
Bibiano Fernandes is off the ONE Championship roster. His thoughts on this development? Let’s dive in.
The ex-ONE bantamweight champ still holds the record for most title fight wins in the promotion’s history (11). He informed MMA Fighting that his contract was due to end in December. The company let him know they won’t be renewing it.
Fernandes wasn’t angry. “Could they have offered me more fights? Absolutely. I was sidelined for three years, they could’ve given me more bouts. Was I a tad upset? Sure, but that’s life,” he said. He compared his situation to many hardworking people who dedicate their lives to their jobs, only to be let go. It was a sad moment for him, but he shrugged it off. Life moves on.
Before joining ONE in 2012, Fernandes was a two-division champ at DREAM. He’s since notched wins over Martin Nguyen, Masakatsu Ueda, and Kevin Belingon. At 44, he lost his title to John Lineker in March 2022 after a nearly three-year hiatus. He then lost a decision to Stephen Loman in November 2022.
He was promised a fight with Shinya Aoki for ONE’s upcoming January 2024 card. But then, the organization announced Aoki would face Sage Northcutt instead. Fernandes reflected on his journey at ONE, believing no one will replicate his achievements there. He worked for them for 11 years, facing many challenges. He felt like a fighter in a business world. “What can I do?” he asked.
Fernandes couldn’t delve into ONE’s business practices due to contract clauses. But he did have advice for fellow fighters. “Think twice before deciding to fight for ONE Championship,” he warned.
He signed a new deal with ONE in February 2017, after defending his title against Reece McLaren. His contract included a desk job post-retirement, but ONE reneged on that. “There are things I wanted to say, but I can’t. I was supposed to be an ambassador for the promotion, but that didn’t happen,” Fernandes revealed.
“When I received the letter, I wasn’t mad. I felt free. I felt like part of my soul returned to me,” he added. He felt held back by the organization. But he decided to let his history speak for him.
Fernandes has a 24-6 record in the sport and 12-3 under the ONE banner. He’s not retired. “They’ve been trying to retire me for years but couldn’t,” he chuckled. He’s now focused on running his jiu-jitsu gym in Canada, but doesn’t rule out one last fight.
He had issues with ONE regarding his management. Gilberto Faria was his agent initially, but ONE forced him to part ways with Faria and negotiate directly with them. He didn’t elaborate why, citing contract clauses.
His relationship with coach Matt Hume was also affected. Hume, the Sr. Vice President at ONE Championship, trained Fernandes for most of his career. “Matt is a good guy, but he works for the organization. His hands are tied,” Fernandes said. He now runs his own gym in Canada and doesn’t train with Hume anymore.
Fernandes was once linked to the UFC. They prematurely announced a bout with Roland Delorme for UFC 149 in 2012 before a deal was finalized. But Fernandes ended up joining ONE. He doesn’t regret choosing ONE over the UFC.
“It was the right thing to do at that moment,” Fernandes said. He felt he helped the growing promotion. But he hopes no other athlete goes through what he experienced. “That’s why it’s very important that you have a good manager. I made the mistake of not fighting it when they took my manager from my side,” he concluded.