ONE Bantamweight Champion Bibiano Fernandes has been one of the top 135-pound fighters in the world for the past decade.

Fernandes is on a 12-fight win streak and is unbeaten in ONE with eight victories. His last seven wins have all been for titles.

Fernandes road to being one of the best in his division has not been easy, but with dedication Fernandes has earned his spot among the elite fighters in the world.

“I lost my mother when I was 7-years-old,” Fernandes said. “And my daddy sent us to live with my aunt in the jungle in Brazil, and I got malaria. I was very sick in the jungle. Every day at 6 p.m. you freeze and you shake, for six months, and finally, I survived.

“In Brazil, it’s a very tough life but I believe that you can have a choice in your life. You can make a better choice for you. I wanted to be better in my life, and I go to Brazil and sell ice cream on the street, I cleaned cars, I clean houses. That’s what I did in Brazil to live my life, to survive.”

Fernandes went on to say he cleaned a women’s house for food instead of money because he only cared about eating. He also said his journey into MMA began while cleaning a man’s car who happened to be a Brazilian jiu-jitsu coach.

Fernandes began training with that man and began doing competitions. Since he had no money, his coach allowed him to clean the mats at the gym in order to train for free.

“All the time I help people, that’s the way I live my life until today,” Fernandes said. “Until today I still help people who need help. I don’t care about the money, I care about people. Giving things to people.”