Bibiano Fernandes reveals the reason why he didn’t sign with the UFC
The last man to hold the DREAM bantamweight title, Bibiano Fernandes has revealed the reasons why he didn’t sign with the worlds number one mixed martial arts promotion, the Ultimate Fighting Championship, as well as his hopes for the future under the ONE FC banner.
Speaking via Tatame Magazime, Fernandes said:
“I’ve fought all my life in Japan. Most of my fans live there. I guess One FC is just an extension of Dream. It’s not Dream, but the guys there have been helping one another at One FC. If you really look at it, you’ll see the guys that used to work on Dream here. One FC is One FC. They hired the good employees from Dream. They picked some people up and brought into their organization. I guess it’s gonna grow. Actually, I’m pretty sure of it. I believe in them.”
Fernandes then spoke about his reasons for not signing with the UFC, explaining it was a decision surrounding his family more than his own fight career.
“Apart from family, it’d be a great opportunity for Bibiano, but when you put the family in the picture it’s not worth it. I don’t fight for me. I have people who rely on me. I’ve built what I had to build in MMA. It can be many people’s dream to fight in the UFC, but it ain’t mine. It’s all business to me. I’ve dreamed about being a champion, I earned three belts: one in Canada and two in Japan. If you have a dream, keep dreaming. If you want to fight, keep on trying. But this I’ll tell you: worship yourself otherwise nobody else will. And it’s not only on the fighting business, but in everything in life. People use you, use you, use you and them through you away like garbage.”
Fernandes has spent most of his career at featherweight, where he captured DREAM gold, before dropping down and doing the same at bantamweight. He holds notable wins over Joachim Hansen, Joe Warren and Antonio Banuelos. Stay tuned to MMABay for more on this situation as we get it.
By Michael Pepper. (Follow me on Twitter)
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