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 battle 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 adorn 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 instances this yr and keep lively,” Andrade instructed MMA Preventing forward of his ONE 170 conflict with Kwon Gained Il. “I hope to defend my belt as many instances as I can. That’s additionally one of many objectives, to be recognized and revered worldwide, however the one factor I can management is to battle and placed on good performances, knocking folks out and exhibiting I’m on a great stage and folks can begin to acknowledge me. Apart from that, there’s actually nothing I can do.”
Andrade is unbeaten in MMA bouts beneath the ONE Championship banner with 5 stoppages in six wins. Certainly one of his victims was Gained 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.”
Gained 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 feel he’s simply making an attempt to advertise the battle,” Andrade responded. “He is aware of I knocked him out quick in our first battle, so he’s speaking crap making an attempt to get folks to overlook that. However the fact is, he is aware of he must be 100% alert to battle me as a result of I can finish the battle at any second, and simply saying issues received’t make any distinction. When the cage closes, it’s solely him and I there, after which we’ll see what he’s speaking.”
Gained Il is on a roll since shedding to the Brazilian, knocking out three in a row to enhance to 6-1 in his previous seven. Andrade sees evolution in his recreation, however perhaps not sufficient to simply accept a stand-up warfare in Bangkok.
“The primary battle was very quick so it’s like we didn’t even battle for actual, so it’s going to be very fascinating to see the way it performs out this time,” Andrade mentioned. “I can’t go in there overconfident considering I’ll finish the battle the identical means as a result of perhaps 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 battle and concentrate on this battle, but additionally know that the very fact I knocked him out with a kick to the physique reveals he can’t take successful to the physique. A battle is unpredictable and we now have to be ready for all the pieces.
“I do imagine he would possibly attempt to (take me down) as a result of final time he fought a harmful striker and took him down and received with some floor and pound. His opponent didn’t have good wrestling, in fact, however I feel 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 positive I’ve the higher wrestling and jiu-jitsu. If he tries that, I’ll be able to defend. And if there’s a chance, 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.”
