During his recent interview with the South China Morning Post's YouTube channel, undisputed ONE bantamweight MMA world champion Fabricio Andrade issued a warning against the number three-rated divisional contender, Kwon Won Il.
When asked about the expletive callout from the South Korean challenger during his post-fight interview in January 2024, where he defeated Shinechagtga Zolsetseg at ONE Fight Night 18, 'Wonder Boy' simply responded about the result of their first meeting in June 2022.
The Brazilian sensation hit back with:
"Yeah, man. I'm gonna knock you out, I'm gonna knock him out, you know, just wait a little bit, you know, because I'm going to be back soon and I'm gonna knock him out sooner or later."
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Andrade previously stopped Kwon with a stabbing body kick, which immediately made him fold down the canvas at ONE 158 for the 62-second finish. After that encounter between the two, both experienced success in their respective careers.
The Evolve MMA and Tiger Muay Thai representative won the 26-pound golden belt over Lineker. In contrast 'Pretty Boy' won his next three fights by beating Mark Abelardo, Artem Belakh, and Zolsetseg, respectively.
Fabricio Andrade getting close to returning to action after a hernia injury
After coming up short of becoming a two-sport world champion during his previous fight in November 2023 at ONE Fight Night 16 and receiving a second-round knockout loss from Jonathan Haggerty, Andrade suffered a hernia injury.
But he said that he is nearing a full recovery from the injury and has set the timeline of his comeback for May or June of this year. He is also waiting for the green light to return to full contact training.
While waiting on the sidelines, Andrade kept his eyes on the contenders in their division. In fact, John Lineker made him lose his mind after accepting a last-minute fight with former ONE lightweight MMA world champion Shinya Aoki on January 28 at ONE 165.
Despite the valiant effort from his former rival, 'Hands of Stone' was submitted by 'Tobikan Judan' in the first round of their openweight match with a rear-naked choke finish.