Bibiano Fernandes out of UFC 149, never signed contract

News swirled today that DREAM Bantamweight champion Bibiano Fernandes was injured and unable to fight at his scheduled UFC 149 appearance against Roland Delorme. However, follow-ups have seemed to have found an entirely different story altogether, as Fernandes was quoted as having been offered a contract by the UFC but found the terms unagreeable. This has been confirmed by Fernandes himself, who stated the following via Fightersonlymag.com:

“I would like to make perfectly clear the news concerning my involvement with the UFC. It was announced that I, Bibiano Fernandes have been contracted to fight for the organization at UFC 149 which will take place in the city of Calgary on the 21st of July. I would like to make it clear that I am not a UFC athlete as I did not sign any contract with the UFC organization.Negotiations between the UFC and myself did take place, however, we could not resolve the issues on the table and as a result we did not come to an agreement. The recent reports that have been circulating in the media are false, contrary to what is being said, I am not a UFC athlete.”

Fernandes’ words would appear to squash any rumors of an injury causing him to miss UFC 149, and now make clear that he is not even on the UFC roster. Fernandes left the door open for a future run in the UFC with these words:

“I did not find the terms set before me by the UFC beneficial to my family and as a result an agreement could not be reached and no contract was signed. The day that an agreement is reached and the terms set forth are beneficial to both parties involved, I will have the most pleasure and satisfaction to fight for the organization while always representing my beloved country.”

Fernandes then clarified he is still the DREAM 135 lb. Champion, saying:

“In conclusion, I would like it to be known that I am still the Bantamweight Champion for the DREAM organization.”

So what seemed just like another injury commonplace in the UFC lately has shown Bibiano Fernandes‘s true intentions. Hopefully he will make his way to the Octagon sometime soon.

Further Reading: Bibiano Fernandes to train with Demetrious Johnson for Dream GP