The 41-year-old Brazilian has compiled a 24-4 career mark of the course of a professional career that began in 2004. “The Flash” is currently One Championship’s bantamweight title holder and has won 11 of his 12 appearances within the Singapore-based promotion. Long regarded as one of the top talents to never compete in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Fernandes is still going strong.
With no fights currently on the horizon for Fernandes, here are five things you might not know about the Brazilian star.
One Championship “Full Blast” airs Friday in more than 150 countries on televisions, tablets, computers and mobile devices at 8:30 a.m. ET.
1. Humble Beginnings Shaped Him
Born in Manaus, Brazil, Fernandes was kicked out of his home by his father at age 7 following the death of his mother. He and his siblings were then forced to travel by boat to live with their aunt in the Amazon rainforest. With no power and no nearby food source on his aunt’s farm, Fernandes was forced to hunt and fish for nourishment. After coming down with malaria approximately one year later, Fernandes returned to live with his father in Manaus. He was 9 years old when he attended school for the first time.
2. Jiu-Jitsu Was His Path to MMA
Once Fernandes discovered jiu-jitsu, he offered his services cleaning a local gym in Manaus in exchange for a membership. Over time, Fernandes became one of the best grapplers in the world, winning multiple gold medals – including three victories at the IBJJF World Championships as a black belt. He eventually earned his moniker “The Flash” for his quick submission prowess.
3. He Jumped Straight into the Fire
After submitting Luis Figueroa in 31 seconds in his pro MMA debut at Jungle Fight 3, Fernandes took a massive step up in competition in his next two outings, squaring off against two of the best smaller-weight fighters in the world in Urijah Faber and Norifumi Yamamoto, both of whom were 15-1 at the time of their meetings with Fernandes. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace didn’t win either contest, but he gained invaluable experience that would help him later in his career.
4. He Has a Significant ‘What If’ Moment
In 2012, it was reported that Fernandes signed with the UFC for a debut against Roland Delorme at UFC 149. It turned out that the Las Vegas-based promotion jumped the gun on that announcement. Fernandes would clarify the situation approximately one week later. “Negotiations between the UFC and myself did take place, however, we could not resolve the issues on the table and as a result, we did not come to an agreement,” Fernandes wrote on his Facebook page. That ultimately cleared the way for him to become a One Championship athlete.
5. He Keeps Elite Company
Anchored at AMC Pankration, Fernandes is the primary sparring partner for former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson. The two enjoyed a lengthy training relationship before “Mighty Mouse” was “traded” to One from the UFC in exchange for Ben Askren. Both men earned victories on the One Championship “A New Era” card in March 2019. “Me and Bibiano have been training together for around 13 years,” Johnson said in an interview on the One website in 2019. “It’s always been a joy of mine to train with him. He brings great energy and great knowledge, and he’s been fighting forever, so it’s been fun.”