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ONE bantamweight MMA world champion Fabricio Andrade was expecting to win his rematch against South Korean fighter Kwon Won il last week but admitted he was somehow surprised it ended quickly the way it did.
'Wonder Boy' successfully defended his world title against 'Pretty Boy' at ONE 170 on Jan. 24 at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand. He won by knockout in just 42 seconds into the opening round after landing a solid body shot that instantly sent Kwon crumbling down in pain and unable to defend himself after.
It went the similar route as their first encounter in a title eliminator back in 2022, where Andrade also won by KO in the first round by connecting on a crushing kick to the body.
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During the post-fight interview with ONE commentator Mitch Chilson inside the Circle, Fabricio Andrade spoke about his latest victory, including how surprised he was with the way it went down.
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The 27-year-old Brazilian champion said:
"First, I want to thank God for taking me here, for making me go through all these challenges and helping me perform the way I did. I’m so happy. I didn’t expect him to come forward that fast, but I don’t think that was a good idea."
The win at ONE 170 was the first successful defense of Andrade, who claimed the vacant bantamweight MMA belt with a TKO victory over former divisional king John Lineker in February 2023.
It was also a bounce-back win for him, after losing by knockout in his previous fight in November 2023 to then-bantamweight Muay Thai world champion Jonathan Haggerty for the vacant bantamweight kickboxing belt.
Kwon's defeat, meanwhile, saw his impressive three-fight winning run, all coming by way of KO, come to an end.
The replay of ONE 170 is available on watch.ONEFC.com.
Fabricio Andrade's KO win at ONE 170 earns him $50,000 performance bonus
Apart from successfully defending the ONE bantamweight MMA world title, Fabricio Andrade's KO win over Kwon Won il at ONE 170 earned him a $50,000 performance bonus from ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong. He was one of four athletes who were rewarded with the hefty incentive for their impressive performances.
Andrade joined the company of fellow world champions Tawanchai PK Saenchai and Nabil Anane (interim) and Thai fighter Sinsamut Klinmee as incentive winners for their own KO victories.
The $50,000 performance bonus was the second for Fabricio Andrade in ONE Championship after that he earned from his first-round KO victory from Kwon in their first showdown in June 2022.
