Before 28-year old Kevin "The Silencer" Belingon (13-4-0) challenges Bibiano "The Flash" Fernandes (18-3-0) for the ONE Bantamweight World Championship this Saturday, January 23 at ONE Wujie: Dynasty of Champions which takes place at the Changsha Stadium in Changsha, China, let's take a look at what earned the Filipino fighter his shot at ONE Championship gold.
Here are three fights that earned Kevin a shot at the title.
#1 - Kevin Belingon def. Yusup Saadulaev at 3:18 of Round 1 via TKO (Punches), October 6, 2012
Russian wrestler Yusup Saadulaev was making his ONE Championship debut against Kevin, who was at the time 0-2 since debuting for Asia's largest mixed martial arts promotion. Kevin's back was against the wall and he needed a win badly.
Yet matching him up with Saadulaev was certainly no easy task. The "Maestro" was widely considered to be a complete mixed martial artist with a terrific ground game which has proved problematic for Filipino fighters.
Much to the surprise of those in attendance, Kevin didn't give Saadulaev a chance to show off his skills and even held his own on the ground with the world-class wrestler.
After a failed Kimura attempt, Kevin blasted Saadulaev with a punch from the top, knocking the Russian out cold in one fell swoop. Referee Yuji Shimada had no choice but to step in and call a halt to the contest.
Saadulaev would later fight on in his career, even defeating the enigmatic former flyweight champion Adriano Moraes, proving that he was certainly no push-over and that Kevin's win was no fluke.
#2 - Kevin Belingon def. Thanh Vu at 1:00 of Round 2 via TKO (Punches), April 5, 2013
Fresh from his resounding victory over Yusup Saadulaev, Kevin took on the tenacious Thanh "Aladdin" Vu who at the time had only lost one bout prior.
Two high-level strikers entered the cage that night, but Vu quickly found out that Kevin was on a completely different level.
Few fighters can match Kevin's level of intensity when he's in the zone. The Team Lakay veteran starts fights off very fast, always looking for the knockout.
Kevin tagged Vu repeatedly with powerful leg kicks and lightning quick counters. When the fight hit the ground, Kevin proved once again that he could grind against an exceptional grappler in Vu who had three submission victories to his credit.
The fight-ending sequence came when Kevin landed a right roundhouse kick to the head and followed it up with lightning quick combinations as Vu was pinned against the cage. A devastating left hook would dump Vu to the canvas and this time, it was referee Kenichi Serizawa's turn to save Kevin's opponent from further punishment.
#3 - Kevin Belingon def. David Aranda Santacana at 2:53 of Round 1 via KO (Punches), December 6, 2013
Bantamweight standout from Barcelona, David Aranda Santacana, debuted for ONE Championship and was supposed to give Kevin the toughest test of his career but things didn't go exactly as he had planned.
The Spaniard was riding the momentum of being unbeaten in nine professional fights at the time, and went into the cage with confidence.
Alas, that confidence was quickly swept under the rug as Kevin needed only a few minutes to lay waste to Santacana via his powerful fists.
From early on, Kevin's edge in speed and power was evident as Santacana awkwardly tried his best to defend against such an overwhelming force. Kevin employed his usual blend of mixed offense featuring his trademark zippy leg kicks and punches with bad intentions.
The end came from out of nowhere when Kevin pressed the action, stalking the hapless Santacana like a lion advancing toward its prey.
Kevin, looking for the finish, landed two left hooks in the clinch with the second one dropping Santacana to the mat like a sack of potatoes. Referee Olivier Coste intervened, awarding Kevin with the knockout win.
Well-earned title shot
There is no doubt that Kevin Belingon is one of the bantamweight division's most fearsome competitors and now, he's earned his opportunity to be called champion.
Belingon will finally get his chance against world-ranked and reigning champion Bibiano "The Flash" Fernandes, in a five-round bout for the ONE Bantamweight World Championship.
It's a fight that fans will not want to miss.