Bibiano Fernandes to Defend 135-Pound Title Against Dae Hwan Kim at One FC 23 on Dec. 5

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Bibiano Fernandes will defend his 135-pound title against Dae Hwan Kim at “Warrior’s Way” on Dec. 5.

The promotion announced the bout on Thursday.

One FC 23 will take place at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines and also features the highly anticipated promotional debut of former Ultimate Fighting Championship standout Brandon Vera, when he takes on Igor Subora.

A former two-division champ in the now-defunct Japanese organization Dream, 33-year-old Fernandes turned down a UFC contract in 2012 to sign with One FC. Since then, “The Flash” has competed three times, capturing the company’s interim bantamweight title against Koetsu Okazaki last May before unifying the belt in an October bout with Soo-Chul Kim. Most recently, Fernandes defeated Masakatsu Ueda at One FC 15. All three of the incumbent champion’s One FC appearances have lasted five rounds, and resulted in unanimous decisions for the Brazilian.

Outside of a 2011 draw, Kim's entire career has been aces as the 27-year-old has gone undefeated in 10 fights. In two One FC appearances, the South Korean has finished both Thanh Vu and Kevin Belingon via rear-naked choke. Prior to signing with the Victor Cui-led promotion, Kim previously held titles in multiple organizations, including, Korean All MMA Association and Daehan MMA Federation.