Image courtesy of ONE Championship
Bibiano "The Flash" Fernandes is often called the greatest Brazilian martial artist of all time. Seven men have tried to dethrone the bantamweight king and all have fallen short. This Friday, he will defend his belt for the eighth time in a rematch against Kevin Belingon, of the Philippines, at ONE: HEART OF THE LION in Singapore after he beat him two years ago at the same event. Win or lose, Fernandes is one of the most respected competitors in mixed martial arts around the world, and the jiu-jitsu master is arguably ONE FC's most dominant champion.Ahead of the fight, VICE managed to sit down with the 38-year-old for a quick chat about discipline, philosophy, and more.VICE: How have you changed physically, mentally or emotionally since your last fight with Kevin Belingon?
Bibiano Fernandes: For better or worse?Could you elaborate on both?
You have to improve yourself everyday because you’re reborn each time you wake up, you know what I mean? You can’t be the same as you were yesterday. You have to make some adjustments. If you do not understand this, you’ll be in a difficult position because you’ll be stuck in one place. Once you do understand, it’ll be easy.During training camp, what do you usually eat?
In preparation, I eat very clean. Chicken, salad, and brown rice. I drink a lot of water before a fight too. You also have to have good sleep and good rest to be fresh come the following day in the gym. The thing I tend to eat most is chicken and sometimes fish. I don’t have a cheat day. I always eat clean.Now what would you say is your strength?
Do you know the thing is, I’m able to adapt in a fight. You ought to be well-rounded. You cannot just rely on your jiu-jitsu for a takedown or just go for punches. You have to be be able to adapt as the fight goes on. Some people rely on one game plan and if that doesn’t work out, their mind isn’t there anymore, you know what I mean? You need to be able to make adjustments in the fight.Being dynamic is obviously very important. Now, if you could have one superpower, what would it be?
I don’t want to have superpowers, if you know what I mean. If you have superpowers, you have a lot of responsibilities. A lot of people tend to use their power the wrong way. I prefer to just be Bibiano, with just my knowledge and understanding.If you weren't doing martial arts, what do you think you’d be doing?
That’s the mystery of life. We don't know where else we could be or what else we could do. I have no idea what else I would do if not for mixed martial arts. Maybe I’ll go do something great in another area or I could do something bad. We don’t know. One thing I know is: character is constant. No matter what situation you’re in, whether it’s a hard time in your life, your character will speak for you. Whether you’re a good person or a bad person, your character will speak for you.What is your spirit animal?
I believe it's an eagle. For me, I have vision. I can see something before it happens. I can see whatever’s going on you know what I mean.If you could teleport anywhere right now, where would you want to be right now?
Again, it depends. It depends what sort of life you have, what upbringing you have or what sort of personality you have. If you’re someone who lost a child, any opportunity to go back in time to save your child you would do it in an instant. Ask any mother, she will say, “I want to save my kid.” Whether I would go back to save my daughter, or my dog, we don’t know. For me, I prefer to let the past go and look forward.Before we go, what is one piece of advice for anyone interested in mixed martial arts?
For mixed martial arts, discipline. For life, compassion!Click here to find out what his opponent Kevin Belingon has to say.
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Bibiano Fernandes: For better or worse?Could you elaborate on both?
You have to improve yourself everyday because you’re reborn each time you wake up, you know what I mean? You can’t be the same as you were yesterday. You have to make some adjustments. If you do not understand this, you’ll be in a difficult position because you’ll be stuck in one place. Once you do understand, it’ll be easy.During training camp, what do you usually eat?
In preparation, I eat very clean. Chicken, salad, and brown rice. I drink a lot of water before a fight too. You also have to have good sleep and good rest to be fresh come the following day in the gym. The thing I tend to eat most is chicken and sometimes fish. I don’t have a cheat day. I always eat clean.Now what would you say is your strength?
Do you know the thing is, I’m able to adapt in a fight. You ought to be well-rounded. You cannot just rely on your jiu-jitsu for a takedown or just go for punches. You have to be be able to adapt as the fight goes on. Some people rely on one game plan and if that doesn’t work out, their mind isn’t there anymore, you know what I mean? You need to be able to make adjustments in the fight.
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I don’t want to have superpowers, if you know what I mean. If you have superpowers, you have a lot of responsibilities. A lot of people tend to use their power the wrong way. I prefer to just be Bibiano, with just my knowledge and understanding.If you weren't doing martial arts, what do you think you’d be doing?
That’s the mystery of life. We don't know where else we could be or what else we could do. I have no idea what else I would do if not for mixed martial arts. Maybe I’ll go do something great in another area or I could do something bad. We don’t know. One thing I know is: character is constant. No matter what situation you’re in, whether it’s a hard time in your life, your character will speak for you. Whether you’re a good person or a bad person, your character will speak for you.What is your spirit animal?
I believe it's an eagle. For me, I have vision. I can see something before it happens. I can see whatever’s going on you know what I mean.If you could teleport anywhere right now, where would you want to be right now?
Again, it depends. It depends what sort of life you have, what upbringing you have or what sort of personality you have. If you’re someone who lost a child, any opportunity to go back in time to save your child you would do it in an instant. Ask any mother, she will say, “I want to save my kid.” Whether I would go back to save my daughter, or my dog, we don’t know. For me, I prefer to let the past go and look forward.Before we go, what is one piece of advice for anyone interested in mixed martial arts?
For mixed martial arts, discipline. For life, compassion!Click here to find out what his opponent Kevin Belingon has to say.