Bibiano Fernandes makes his pick for Garry Tonon vs. Thanh Le

Bibiano Fernandes will be in action at ONE: Lights Out. However, as a fan, he’s also excited for the ONE featherweight world title bout between Thanh Le and Garry Tonon.

In an interview with ONE Championship, the ONE bantamweight world champion offered his thoughts on the headlining bout:

“I do not know. It's a very difficult fight for Garry Tonon, because Thanh Le has a good fight understanding. I think Tonon doesn't have much ability in striking but on the ground, he is very skilled, which Le is not. For me, this fight is 50-50.”

It’s understandable for Fernandes to see the fight going either way. After all, Tonon is an accomplished grappler and seamlessly transitioned to MMA in 2018. Meanwhile, Le is a prolific striker who owns 11 knockouts in his 12 professional MMA wins.

Pressed for a prediction, Bibiano Fernandes revealed he's leaning more towards Tonon:

“I believe it will be a great fight. It's a dangerous fight for Garry Tonon, but if he does his grappling game, I believe he can finish Le.”

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Bibiano Fernandes is looking to move up to featherweight

Bibiano Fernandes has dominated the bantamweight division for a long time. He believes that testing his skills in the featherweight division is the next logical step for his career.

‘The Flash’ won the ONE interim bantamweight world championship when he faced Koetsu Okazaki in his second bout with the promotion back at May 2013’s ONE: Rise to power. Five months later, he became the undisputed champion of the division after defeating titleholder Soo Chul Kim at ONE: Total Domination.

He defeated all challengers for the title until Kevin Belingon won a split decision at November 2018’s ONE: Heart of the Lion. Fernandes won the title back in his next outing after taking elbows to the back of the head.

He graciously gave an immediate rematch to Belingon seven months later, where he asserted his dominance in the division by submitting ‘The Silencer’ in the second round.

Should he put away John Lineker at ONE: Lights Out on March 11, moving up to featherweight is definitely an option that the Brazilian warrior is considering:

“I'm definitely thinking about moving up in the division and fighting in the featherweight division. But as I said, now my focus is on Lineker. I need to defend my belt before thinking about other goals. But in the future I think about fighting in the featherweight division.”

For now, Fernandes' attention will be on 'Hands of Stone'. If he gets past his compatriot, perhaps a new venture will await him.