“I’m sorry to those who cheered for me” - Kwon Won Il reflects on his heartbreaking loss to bantamweight MMA king Fabricio Andrade

Kwon Won Il has vowed to bounce back after enduring another tough defeat at the hands of Fabricio Andrade at ONE 170 on Friday, January 24.

In a bid for Andrade’s ONE bantamweight MMA world championship, 'Pretty Boy' faced the Brazilian hard-hitter in front of a sold-out crowd at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand. Unfortunately, he returned to South Korea without the title.

Andrade delivered a near replica of his June 2022 finish against Kwon, retaining his hold on the divisional crown with another devastating body blow.

But this time around, Andrade's staggering left hook sealed the technical knockout in just 42 seconds — 20 seconds quicker than their first encounter.

'Wonder Boy' started the matchup aggressively, meeting Kwon at the center with heavy shots. A powerful left hook to the body then left folded the South Korean, prompting Andrade to swarm with a barrage of ground-and-pound to finish the job.

After the heartbreaking loss, Kwon expressed his disappointment by apologizing to his supporters for falling short in his pursuit of the world championship.

In his original Korean post, he wrote:

"It’s a tough loss. No excuses — my opponent was strong. I missed a lot. I’m sorry to those who cheered for me. Thank you for your support."

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Kwon Won Il goes back to square one

The disappointing setback at ONE 170 ended Kwon Won Il’s three-fight winning streak, which had earned him the No. 3 spot in the rankings and a world title shot.

As Kwon looks to regroup, another contender has emerged to challenge Fabricio Andrade’s reign.

During his post-fight interview, Andrade mentioned the name of Stephen Loman, who currently occupies the No. 2 seat in the bantamweight MMA division’s Top Five.

The Filipino superstar wasted no time responding, issuing a challenge in a video statement released through the Lions Nation MMA Facebook page:

"You proved once again why you’re the champion, but you and I both know there’s one challenge you haven’t faced yet. And that’s me!"