LI’s Andrew Leone to face Bibiano Fernandes for ONE Championship title
Andrew Leone, left, from Center Moriches, defeated Koetsu Okazaki by unanimous decision at ONE: Tribe of Warriors on Feb. 20, 2016, in Jakarta. Credit: Dux Carvajal
Andrew Leone’s journey in ONE Championship has been long and slow.
But it now is scheduled to pay its dividend for the Center Moriches native.
After three straight wins, dating to 2013, Leone will get his title shot later this summer, a ONE Championship official said. Leone faces ONE bantamweight champion Bibiano Fernandes at ONE: Kings and Conquerors in Macau on Aug. 5. The bout is scheduled to be the main event and will take place at Cotai Arena.
Fernandes, 37, unified the 135-pound division title in 2013 and has successfully defended it five it times since. Fernandes (20-3) is on a 12-fight winning streak. He last fought in December, beating Reece McLaren by split decision.
Leone (8-2) won a unanimous decision over Koetsu Okazaki in February of 2016.
Mark La Monica is a deputy sports editor at Newsday. He also covers mixed martial arts.
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