Belingon expects hometown-like Filipino crowd against Fernandes in Singapore at ONE: Heart of Lion

ONE interim bantamweight world champion Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon is expecting a massive turnout from Filipino fans when he takes on reigning ONE Bantamweight World Champion Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes at ONE: Heart of the Lion in Singapore on 9 November.

Home to thousands of overseas Filipino workers, the Singapore Indoor Stadium has enjoyed a huge Filipino crowd whenever ONE Championship hosts an event in the country known as “The Lion City.”

When Eduard Folayang challenged then-ONE Lightweight World Champion Shinya Aoki in November 2016, the stadium exploded from the screams of Filipino fans that filled every section of the state-of-the-art showground to support the beloved Filipino mixed martial arts superstar.

“Fighting in Singapore is almost like fighting in Manila. Thousands of Filipinos are based there, and they never fail to show support when their fellow Filipino is scheduled to compete at a ONE Championship event,” Belingon said.

“I was there when Eduard Folayang pulled off the unexpected against Shinya Aoki to capture the ONE Lightweight World Title in 2016. Filipino fans were cheering for Eduard from start to finish, and the stadium erupted from the chants of countless Filipinos when he was officially crowned as the new ONE Lightweight World Champion,” he added.

Now more than ever, Belingon is banking on crowd support when he takes on Fernandes in their highly-anticipated rematch on 9 November.

“I expect the same support, and hopefully an even bigger turnout from Filipino fans when I challenge Bibiano Fernandes for the ONE Bantamweight World Title on Nov. 9 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. Our country is known for its passionate and knowledgeable fans who never fail to show massive support for one of their own,” he stated.

Should the usual massive Filipino crowd show up, Belingon feels that it would help him muster an inspired performance to get crowned as the undisputed ONE Bantamweight World Champion.

“I know how big of a following ONE Championship has from Filipino fans. I’m confident that they will flock to the stadium and show support in what would be the biggest and most important bout of my career. A huge Filipino crowd will surely help bring out an inspired performance from me as I attempt to bring the gold-plated belt back to the Philippines,” he ended.