Stephen Loman (Team Lakay) will get a chance to cement his position as the next fighter in line for the One Championship bantamweight belt when he locks horns with the division's former champion, Brazil's Bibiano Fernandez, on November 18 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. If he beats the always durable Fernandez, it leaves no doubt that he is the next fighter to get a crack at the title. The top of the division is in a bit of a quandary right now. John Lineker, the champion, recently fought the top contender Fabricio Andrade but the bout ended as a "no contest" due to an accidental knee. This means if Loman gets past Fernandez, he has some waiting to do. It's very probable that Lineker and Andrade will run it back. Whoever wins the rematch will face Loman as the next challenger.
However, the question is can Loman get past Fernandez? Let's find out.
Power - Loman has the upper hand here. His KO/TKO rate is at 38% compared to Fernandez's 8%. It's not going to come as a surprise if Loman wins via knockout. For a small guy, Loman has powerful hands. It's also worth mentioning here that Fernandez has been knocked out twice in his career. If Loman can consistently land his power punches, it's going to be a short night for him. Fernandez's last fight was back in March wherein he was brutally knocked out by Lineker. It's difficult to recover from a loss like that. Most especially if you are a 42-year old veteran like Fernandez. When it comes to power, Loman has the upper hand. [Loman]
Experience - Fernandez is older and way more experienced than Loman. He has been at the top of his division for so long so he has faced all challenges. He has fought the best and the toughest fighters out there. When you have been in the game for this long, there are certain aspects of fighting that you learn and implement within the cage. Fernandez is a very smart fighter who knows how to adjust as a fight goes on. Loman is only 30 years old and he hasn't reached his peak yet. When it comes to experience and using experience as an advantage inside the cage, Fernandez has the upper hand. [Fernandez]
Quality of opponents - Fernandez has consistently fought highly-ranked opponents. That's a given because he's been at the top of his division for so long. His list of former opponents include Kevin Belingon, John Lineker, Martin Nguyen, Andrew Leone, Reece McLaren, and Dae Hwan Kim. Loman started fighting in ONE only last year (2021). Prior to signing with ONE, he fought and became champion in Brave, a Middle East-based promotion. They have good fighters in Brave but their roster are several levels below that of ONE. So when it comes to the quality of their former opponents, Fernandez gets the cake. [Fernandez]
Wrestling and grappling skills - One of the biggest reasons why Fernandez became a dominant champion is his wrestling and grappling skills. Of his 24 career victories, 9 came by submission. That's a testament to his skills on the ground. He often outwrestles and outgrapples his opponents. Loman, on the other hand, has only won 2 fights via submission. He's still good on the ground but not on the level of Fernandez. That said, Fernandez wins in this department. [Fernandez]
Ways to win - Loman has good power so it won't be surprising if he wins via KO or TKO. This is his main path to victory. Fernandez, on the other hand, has several paths to victory. He can take the fight to the ground and outwrestle/outgrapple Loman enroute ot a decision win. Fernandez is also a submission specialist so this is another path he can exploit. If the fight remains on their feet, Fernandez still has the upper hand. Loman is not a very aggressive fighter. He often likes to work as a counter-striker. This won't be a good strategy against Fernandez. Fernandez is an expert in accumulating enough points to win a fight. [Fernandez]
Fight IQ - Both fighters are very smart fighters. They know how to exploit their opponent's weaknesses and strengths. They are both great counter-strikers. The only difference between them is that Fernandez has more experience. However, he's alsomuch older so that evens things up. In this department, it's a draw. [Draw]
With these things in mind, what is our result prediction for the upcoming bout? Here are our top predictions. 1 being the most probable and 5 being the least probable.
1. Fernandez via decision
2. Loman via decision
3. Loman via knockout
4. Fernandez via submission
5. Draw
