Catching Up with One Championship Bantamweight King Bibiano Fernandes

Over his seven-year run with One Championship, Bibiano Fernandes has proven to be the best bantamweight in the promotion’s history. As their longest reigning 135-pound champion, seeking out the next great challenge has not always been easy. However, after the organization added Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran John Lineker, Fernandes sees a battle with his fellow Brazilian as a sensible showdown in 2020.

“Lineker would be a good fight, too. He’d give me a good fight, but the thing is I don’t say I want this guy; I want that guy. Because really, it’s One Championship’s decision at the end of the day,” Fernandes told Sherdog. “They have to make that decision, and I have to sit with my management, and coach and say yes or no. But I’ve never said no to One Championship [when offered a fight]. Never in my life. If they say, ‘Bibiano, fight this guy,’ I was there. John Lineker, if he wants to fight me, that would be a good fight because he has good name. He fought in the UFC, and that would be a very big challenge for me.”

Along with talking about the idea of a bout with Lineker, Fernandes spoke on possibly moving up in weight to challenge for the promotion’s featherweight crown, and what still motivates him after 16-years in the sport. He also talked about the coronavirus situation at home in Canada, as well as friends and family affected by the outbreak in his native Brazil.