Bantamweight MMA king Fabricio Andrade believes Kwon Won Il “could be the next contender” to this throne

Fabricio Andrade is currently home in Brazil enjoying some vacation, but that doesn’t mean he’s slacking off in his responsibilities as a world champion.

The reigning ONE bantamweight MMA world champion is no stranger to challengers claiming their shot at the throne, and Andrade believes there’s one rightful man who could face him once he comes back.

In an interview with the South China Morning Post, Andrade said former foe Kwon Won Il deserves to share the circle with him in his first world title defense.

Fabricio Andrade said:

“I mean, he comes from good wins, you know, I think it's between him and [John] Lineker, but I fought Lineker two times in a row, you know, back-to-back, so if we go back now it's going to be three MMA fights that I only fight against him. So Kwon definitely could be the next contender for the belt and he got good wins you know he finished two good opponents and yeah he's calling me out a lot.”

Kwon is one of the most electrifying fighters in ONE Championship, and he has no problems bringing the heat inside and outside the cage. The South Korean star is also in a strong run of form, with six wins in his last seven matches.

After losing to Andrade via first-round knockout in that seven-fight span, Kwon racked up three straight knockout wins and secured the third spot in the bantamweight rankings.

Watch Andrade's entire interview below:

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Fabricio Andrade says a fight against Stephen Loman is inevitable

Although Fabricio Andrade’s looking at a potential rematch with Kwon Won Il, he’s also keeping an eye on another ranked contender.

Stephen Loman is the second-ranked bantamweight MMA contender and a fighter Andrade believes could challenge him for the bantamweight MMA throne in the future.

Despite losing to former bantamweight MMA king John Lineker in his last outing, Loman still has the reputation and the style to challenge Andrade down the road.

Andrade said in the same interview:

“It's hard to beat Lineker so he got a hard fight, he lost a decision, he wasn't like, he got knocked out or anything, so I think he just needs to keep improving and go back and get a good win and could be a contender as well.”