Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon got a nice big surprise moments before he dazzled once again with another ferocious striking display to obliterate Andrew Leone in two rounds in the main event of Heroes of Honor to tow Team Lakay to a 3-0 evening.
It was later revealed by ONE that Belingon had a standing offer of a rematch against reigning ONE Bantamweight World Champion Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes that was all but guaranteed before the bout.
All Belingon had to do was wait for Fernandes to recover from injury for the bout to happen.
Instead of just coasting in facing Leone to avoid taking a risk, the proud Igorot warrior chose to put it all on the line in a high-risk contest.
Belingon pump a spinning wushu sidekick to Leone’s midsection to sent him flying across the squared circle, a first time fighting venue used in ONE’s history, and followed it up with non-stop ground and pound to end the bout at the 1:27 of round two and pocket a TKO victory.
Action was fierce and relentless from start to finish and began with Belingon swarming Leone from the sound of the opening bell.
Upon hearing the bell sound, Belingon stormed out of the gates looking to engage, a trademark for The Silencer.
He immediately peppered Leone with combinations that had his adversary covering up.
The grappling specialist Leone could not execute the fight going to the ground and was able to barely survive the first round.
As he got to the middle of the ring to answered the bell for round two, Belingon got back to swarm him again with strikes.
Just a little more than a minute into the second frame, Belingon delivered a thunderous spinning side kick that send the American flying before landing on the canvass.
Belingon pounced on the opening and followed him to the ground to unleash a relentless torrent of ground and pound.
Referee Olivier Coste called a halt to the contest at 1:27 of round two, awarding Belingon the victory, and the “GoDaddy Knockout Of The Night.”
“I feel great,” Belingon said in his post-victory interview. “He kept on stepping back, so when I saw the opening, I unleashed that kick.”
Belingon improves his overall record to 18-5 while dropping Leone to 8-4. He is also on a five-bout winning streak.
The victory all but ensures that the next time The Silencer steps onto the battlefield, it will be for the ONE Bantamweight World Championship.
By: ARMANDO BOLISLIS
