Fabricio Andrade will set out to defend his ONE Bantamweight MMA World Championship for the first time at ONE 170 on Friday, January 24. Awaiting him will be a familiar foe, Kwon Won Il.
The spectacular matchup will be the first of three title tilts when ONE Championship returns to Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand. The massive event will be the perfect opportunity for Andrade to step back into MMA and the win column.
Andrade was last seen attempting to become a two-sport World Champion at ONE Fight Night 16 in November 2023. However, the night ended badly when Jonathan Haggerty secured a second-round knockout.
In his time away, Andrade returned to Brazil and kept busy as he rehabbed injuries and hit the reset button following the loss.
“But a lot happened during that time when I was not fighting. I made this documentary and then I built a house for my father. My father was living alone in Fortaleza, so I went with him to his hometown, Marco Ceará, bought a piece of land, and built a house for him there, close to his family. Since it's his hometown, he has a lot of family there, so I thought it would be better for him to be closer to his family. It was something I've wanted to do for a while, and I took advantage of this moment to build this house for him,” Andrade told ONE.
Andrade and Kwon first met at ONE 158 in June 2022. Both men were enjoying incredible success and looking to punch their ticket to a title shot.
62 seconds into the match, Andrade struck fiercely and punched his ticket while sending Kwon to the back of the line.
“Our fight was very quick, I managed to impose my strategy right at the beginning of the fight and managed to land a good kick that knocked him out. He's a guy who likes to talk a lot, who likes to provoke. That was something he did in our first fight and I'm expecting him to do it again,” Andrade remarked.
“But I'm mentally prepared for it and I think all this trash talk just shows that he's not confident. He knows I'm dangerous, that I can knock him out at any moment. So, I think he should be more respectful. But in the fight, I will show that I am better than him. I know how to beat him, and I will knock him out or submit him.”
Since losing to “Wonder Boy,” the South Korean has reeled off three straight wins on the global stage.
Although Kwon is back with full momentum, Andrade claims he has not seen anything new that worries him ahead of the title defense on January 24.
“What I see in his game is the same as I saw the first time I faced him. He's a guy who doesn't know how to use the good wingspan he has. He faces smaller athletes and always moves forward, so he doesn't have good distance control and doesn't use his wingspan well,” Andrade observed.
“I have good distance control, and I can use that to my advantage to land strikes without him being able to counterattack. And my ground game is better than his, so at any time I can take this fight to the ground, and I'm sure I can finish him. That's another weapon I can use against him.”
The Brazilian plans to use his Fight IQ in the matchup to exploit the holes he sees. Not opposed to a firefight, Andrade believes he has a more complete striking arsenal that will give Kwon problems during their match.
However, should the action go to the ground, “Wonder Boy” is more than willing to use his ground game to earn the win. Either way, Andrade is seeking the finish to defend the gold and return in style.
“I'm going to finish the fight, no matter what round. I'm going to look for the knockout all the time, and if I have the opportunity, I'm going to knock him out. But if I also have the opportunity to take him down and take this fight to the ground, I'm going to submit him. So, my prediction is that I'll win by submission or knockout. This fight won't go to the judges' decision,” Andrade said.
ONE 170 airs live on Friday, January 24, from Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, at 6:30 a.m. EST/3:30 a.m. PST.