[ad_1]
Whatever the outcome, Friday night, the story will be made at the end of the title fight Kevin Belingon-Martin Nguyen.
ONE of the world championships of ONE: Reign of Kings will feature Kevin "The Silencer" Belingon, of the Lakay team, who will face Martin Nguyen, reigning world champion of both divisions, for the provisional title of ONE Bantamweight World
. For Belingon, it's a chance to finally become a world champion, and finally to pull out of the game against a Bantamweight king, Bibiano Fernandes.
For Nguyen, it's a chance to become a world champion in three divisions. this has not been done elsewhere.
And while in fact, Belingon against Nguyen is a main event's caliber fight with two of the hottest stars in the promotion, the fight was not exactly what the people were waiting to see. Last year and a half, Belingon blitzed through the ranks of the bantamweight, solidifying his place as the best bantamweight competitor for reigning champ Fernandes, so after his destruction of f Andrew Leone in Manila in April last, many believed that it was a predictable conclusion that he was finally going to get another bantamweight gold slot.
Even Belingon believed that it was his time, and did not pay too much attention to a call from Martin Nguyen.
"Hindi ko muna pinapansin yun, ako nakapila ako his title shot, if Bibiano muna ang nasa isip ko.Kung sakaling talunin ko if Bibiano, eh di pwede mag-match kay Nguyen." Belingon said in June.
(READ: With a shot in the lead, Kevin Belingon says Martin Nguyen can wait )
Nguyen came short in his bid for the title of roosters in January, losing to Fernandes by split decision. He was fresh out of a featherweight title defense against Chrstian Lee when he called Belingon.
Nguyen should not wait after all.
One day after saying that he was not focusing on anything other than another shot at Fernandes, Belingon was engaged in an interim title fight against Nguyen, who, as mentioned, serves from the main event on Friday night.
So, how did all this happen? Belingon was not supposed to get the next shot?
In the end, he was supposed to get his long-awaited title shot. "Bibiano declined the fight because he was still injured," world championship founder and chairman Chatri Sityodtong told reporters at the Reign of Kings press launch on Tuesday. afternoon. "Bibiano could only fight in October or November, and so the choice, I gave it to Belingon, I said you could wait longer, and we do not know because Bibiano still has an ankle injury, so I do not know know he'll be back in October or November. "
Belingon did not agree to fight him.
"That's the thing, I asked Belingon, you want to do it? It's an acting title fight, and Belingon is a warrior and he said yes." Sityodtong continued.
Sityodtong added that the alleged title fight of Belingon-Bibiano was the headline originally intended for Reign of the Kings. It would have been a redesign of their title fight of 2016.
"We had no date for Bibiano.The first was, we gave Bibiano the title option with Belingon, but Bibiano was still injured. "
" Congratulations to Kevin Belingon, he is such a warrior, because the original fight was Belingon against Bibiano here in the Philippines for this event, but Bibiano is injured so he could not do "Then, we asked Belingon, does he want to fight?" and he said "Yeah, let's do it." So bravo to him. "Sityodtong explained further.
So why does Nguyen obtain the provisional title after having just failed Fernandes?
Simple answer could be that Nguyen provides the most intriguing match for Belingon, right now.
Some might argue that Leandro Issa should be in this place instead of Nguyen. The 34-year-old Issa of Brazil was a pioneer of the ONE championship ahead of a UFC race from 2014 to 2016. Since returning to ONE Championship in 2017, Issa has won three straight victories, two against 39, former contenders to Tauru and Dae Hwan Kim.
If Fernandes were to remain in the forefront in the foreseeable future, a match between Issa and the winner of Belingon against Nguyen would be the most logical.
For the moment, the world will see Belingon and Nguyen bring fireworks the cage UNIQUE
A quick look at the record of Belingon and the record of Bibiano will show that the Team Lakay's KO artist has devastated the champion's last three challengers to Leone, Reece McLaren, and Toni Tauru. The other two names on this list: Belingon himself, and Nguyen
Belingon against Nguyen, in all other circumstances, would have been a fight to see absolutely. With a temporary title on the line and with a shot at the bantam king at stake, this makes the war even more interesting.
If Belingon can take Nguyen, it will be six consecutive wins for the Pinoy, and he's not going to win. It will be his fourth victory against a former bantamweight contender. This consolidates his place as one of the two best players in the division, and the legitimate contender for the undisputed title.
In addition, winning for Belingon made him a world champion, putting him among Team Lakay's Honorio Banario stables, Eduard Folayang, and Geje Eustaquio as a former or current World Championship title holder ONE, and give the Philippines the greatest number of world title victories in the promotion.
If Nguyen takes Belingon, he wins a place in history as a three-division world champion, holder of the ONE Featherweight world titles, ONE Lightweight and interim ONE Bantamweight, a feat that has not been achieved. not been done in MMA. He also places him as the legitimate candidate for the undisputed cock strap held by Fernandes.
Whatever the result is Friday night, the story will be made. Make sure you see it unfold.
Kevin The Lakay Belingon Silenton meets reigning world champion Martin "The Situ-Asian" Nguyen for the ONE World Championship ONE Bantamweight World title at ONE: Reign of Kings Friday, July 27 at the Mall of Asia Arena
Catch LIVE action from 8:30 pm on ABS-CBN S + A 23 channel!
[ad_2]
Source link
