Bibiano Fernandes Says Fighting in the UFC Is Not His Dream

The last month has been crazy for Bibiano Fernandes, who became a free agent after the collapse of Dream.

Fernandes was linked to a possible debut in the UFC at UFC 149 in Calgary, but the news came too soon, as Fernandes did not sign a contract with the biggest MMA organization. Fernandes was originally linked to former Ultimate Fighter contestant, Roland Delorme.

Instead, he signed on with the newest in Asian MMA promotion, One FC. Fernandes was one of many stars in the Asian market that was signed by One FC. The promotion also signed Shinya Aoki and Tatsuya Kawajiri to help bolster it's roster to one day become a giant in Asia and compete with the UFC.

Now, Fernandes is slotted to fight on August 31st for One FC.

Recently, the bantamweight fighter sat down with Tatame.com to discuss everything from his next fight to fighting in the UFC.

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"I’ve fought all my life in Japan. Most of my fans live there. I guess One FC is just an extension of Dream," Fernandes told Tatame.com about his upcoming fight with One FC. "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."

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Then came the talk about whether or not One FC would be successful, unlike the rest of its Asian counterparts that have started off great and then floundered in the Asian market:

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It’s an event that needs to be watched, needs to grow too because that way the competition comes. UFC’s going to win it all. There’s no competition, none whatsoever. Even at my weight class, and I hope they hire good fighters in other classes too, but in all light divisions so things are balanced.

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Fernandes mentions the UFC and something that separates him from some other fighters—that fighting in the UFC isn't a big deal to him:

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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.

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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.

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Fernandes fights on August 31st for One FC against an opponent to be announced later. This will be his first fight since winning the Dream bantamweight title in December. Fernandes beat Rodolfo Marques and Antonio Banuelos to win the bantamweight tournament.

On August 31st, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt will start his journey to add more hardware to his trophy case that already includes the aforementioned Dream bantamweight title and the Dream featherweight title.

Fernandes' key wins are over Joachim Hansen, UFC vet, Antonio Banuelos and former Bellator champion, Joe Warren.