Fabricio Andrade returns to combined martial arts with a purpose in thoughts: defend his ONE Championship title sufficient to be acknowledged because the No. 1 bantamweight on the planet.
Andrade needed to struggle John Lineker twice to assert the ONE belt in 2023, forcing the hard-hitting UFC veteran to stop after a 20-minute beatdown. He went on to face beautify striker Jonathan Haggerty for ONE’s kickboxing title — which didn’t finish properly for him —, and now lastly places his MMA belt on the road Friday in Thailand.
“I plan on preventing three or 4 occasions this yr and keep energetic,” Andrade informed MMA Combating forward of his ONE 170 conflict with Kwon Received Il. “I hope to defend my belt as many occasions as I can. That’s additionally one of many targets, to be identified and revered worldwide, however the one factor I can management is to struggle and placed on good performances, knocking folks out and exhibiting I’m on an excellent stage and other people can begin to acknowledge me. Aside from that, there’s actually nothing I can do.”
Andrade is unbeaten in MMA bouts underneath the ONE Championship banner with 5 stoppages in six wins. Certainly one of his victims was Received Il, completed in simply 62 seconds with a kick to the liver.
“I imagine I’m not even in my prime but,” mentioned the 27-year-old fighter of Tiger Muay Thai workforce. “I solely have just a few MMA fights, so I’m nonetheless evolving in grappling and MMA, so with time the world will begin to acknowledge me.”
Received Il was very vocal after victory over Shinechagtga Zoltsetseg in early 2024, saying he was going to “kill” Andrade. The champion didn’t sound that impressed, although.
“I believe he’s simply making an attempt to advertise the struggle,” Andrade responded. “He is aware of I knocked him out quick in our first struggle, so he’s speaking crap making an attempt to get folks to neglect that. However the fact is, he is aware of he needs to be one hundred pc alert to struggle me as a result of I can finish the struggle at any second, and simply saying issues gained’t make any distinction. When the cage closes, it’s solely him and I there, after which we’ll see what he’s speaking.”
Received Il is on a roll since dropping to the Brazilian, knocking out three in a row to enhance to 6-1 in his previous seven. Andrade sees evolution in his sport, however possibly not sufficient to simply accept a stand-up struggle in Bangkok.
“The primary struggle was very quick so it’s like we didn’t even struggle for actual, so it’s going to be very attention-grabbing to see the way it performs out this time,” Andrade mentioned. “I can’t go in there overconfident pondering I’ll finish the struggle the identical means as a result of possibly I can’t finish it quick and ain’t prepared for 5 rounds. I’ve to look again on the issues I did proper for that struggle and give attention to this struggle, but additionally know that the very fact I knocked him out with a kick to the physique exhibits he can’t take successful to the physique. A struggle is unpredictable and now we have to be ready for every part.
“I do imagine he may attempt to (take me down) as a result of final time he fought a harmful striker and took him down and gained with some floor and pound. His opponent didn’t have good wrestling, after all, however I believe that may give him confidence to attempt to grapple with me. I wouldn’t say it’s unattainable or unlikely that he tries that, however I’m certain I’ve the higher wrestling and jiu-jitsu. If he tries that, I’ll be able to defend. And if there’s a possibility, I’d take it to the bottom and end him. I don’t simply go to the bottom and maintain you, I’m going for the end.”
