THE rivalry between Kevin Belingon and Bibiano Fernandes is far from over.
ONE chairman Chatri Sityodtong said there will be a fourth fight between the Filipino and Brazilian for the bantamweight title.
"There will be an automatic rematch," the executive announced late Sunday night during the post-fight press conference of One: A New Era at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan.
What was envisioned as the definitive conclusion to the trilogy between the two fighters ended in disappointment as Belingon was disqualified for hitting Fernandes twice with elbows to the back of the head in the third round.
The Brazilian challenger refused to stand up, forcing the referee to slap a red card on the Filipino titlist and halt the match.
"Bibiano didn't want the belt under those circumstances," said Sityodtong. "Bibiano is a true world champion in every sense of the word. The elbow was unfortunate and he was not able to continue.
"Bibiano is the champion due to technicality. He didn't want to win that belt that way. For sure, Belingon didn't want to lose that way either. These are two warriors, two of the best in the world. They need to have another shot, fair and square. We will see an immediate rematch."
Fernandes scored a first-round submission win in January 2016, tapping Belingon out with a Kimura lock in their first faceoff, but the Team Lakay fighter won a split decision last December to dethrone the Brazilian.
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