Former bantamweight world champion Bibiano Fernandes will once again face a powerful challenge at the internationally acclaimed IP-ONE Championship on November 19, this time against Stephen Loman, the Laika team's current most promising world title-seeker.
Bibiano was once one of ONE's most dominant kings, with a 12-2 record in his 10-year career in the Circle, most recently losing to the throne by knockout by John "Stone Fist" Lineker in his last fight. But the 42-year-old Bibiano has no plans to retire and has knocked out his opponent once in a fight against "Stone Fist", which shows that he still has world-class standards.
Bibiano is also a sworn enemy of the Laika team, having played Laika's former boss Kevin Belingon four times with a 3-1 record, and the bantamweight belt that once belonged to the Laika team was also taken away by him. Now 34, Belling has suffered a four-game losing streak and is at the end of his career while exiting the bantamweight rankings.
Fortunately, the Laika team has a good echelon construction, and more and more young players have entered ONE Championship and reached the world rankings, and Loman is one of the brightest rising stars. Lohmann is also 30 years old, but he only entered ONE Championship last year, and he is currently at the peak of his physical and experience, hoping to take on the top heavyweight fighters as soon as possible, and now he finally has an important opportunity.
Loman had an eight-game winning streak before entering ONE Championship, and in late 2021 he made his first-round TKO of Yusup Saadulaev making his Circle debut. This was followed by defeating Shoko Sato at ONE X in March to reach the official ONE Championship rankings, currently ranked fifth in the heavyweight division. So far, Loman has achieved a 10-year winning streak and 6 years undefeated.
In fact, if Lohman defeats Bibiano, who is second in the original division, he would have a good chance of winning the title, but surprisingly, in the last bantamweight world title fight, defending champion Lineker was stripped of his belt because he was overweight. In the match, challenger Fabricio Andrade ended the championship battle without a result due to a knee collision. So, the Bantamweight World Champion is currently vacant.
Interestingly, because in this game, Andrade was clearly stronger than the defending champions, so in the latest edition of the ranking, Andraide was ranked first, while former champion Lineker was only second. It stands to reason that the two must have a rematch to decide the ownership of the championship title, but after this match, many people think that the difference in strength between the two obviously does not need a rematch, and whether Lineker's weight can meet the requirements of the competition is still unknown, so whether the rematch between the two can be formed is also full of suspense.
Then this also gives Loman more possibilities, if it can beat Bibiano may be able to compete for the title with Andrade, which is undoubtedly the fastest way to attack the world championship for Lohmann, who is in his peak form. With only one active world champion left in the Laika team, Joshua Pacio, will Loman be a new opportunity for this overseas wushu sanda team? Let's wait and see.