LIFE is good for ONE Bantamweight World Champion Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes.
The Brazilian is riding a 13-bout win streak, has not lost a match since December 2010, and has become the world’s best bantamweight martial artist, possibly of all time.
He can add another milestone to his legendary career by defending his title against two-division world champion, Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen, at ONE: Iron Will in Bangkok, Thailand, on March 24, 2018.
Times were not always so kind for the 37-year-old Fernandes, who endured more tragedy and heartbreak than any child ever should.
Growing up in Manaus, Amazonas, with five siblings, Fernandes’ mother passed away when he was seven years of age. His father could not provide for the family, so he forced “The Flash” and his siblings to live with their aunt deep in the Amazon Jungle, where they had to hunt and feed off the land to survive. There, he contracted malaria, and nearly died.
“In the jungle, I always thought, ‘I can do better,’” he explains. “I had to get water, I had to help my aunt, I had to get the food and check on the fish. I had to do my job. Am I better than everybody? No. But I saw something different.”
Soon after his father rescued him from the jungle and helped him win his bout with malaria, Fernandes would discover a better life.
As a teenager, he worked odd jobs to help his dad pay the bills. But one afternoon, his life was changed forever when he stumbled upon a nearby martial arts gym that was teaching Brazilian jiu-jitsu. There was one issue, however – he could not afford a gym membership. So he made a deal to clean the gym and help the owner by doing odd jobs.
Fernandes excelled at the discipline, and earned his black belt in 2002. In addition to that, he became a decorated grappler, as he won several major titles during his BJJ career. This included three IBJJF World Championships and three Pan American Championships, all in the black belt division.
Fernandes made a successful professional debut in October 2004 with a 31-second rear-naked choke victory. Despite stumbling in his next two bouts, “The Flash” soon found a way to put all of his skills together, and his career took off from there.
When he brought his talents to ONE Championship, the submission master quickly become a staple in the organization. Fernandes won the ONE Interim Bantamweight World Championship in May 2013, and then beat then-titleholder Soo Chul Kim later that October to become the undisputed best bantamweight in the world.
Even though he has reigned over the bantamweight division with an iron fist for over four years, “The Flash” has not lost sight of his mission. In fact, he is on a never-ending quest to constantly improve and continue winning.