“It was something mental” - Kwon Won Il admits he was doubting himself in his first fight against Fabricio Andrade

Third-ranked ONE Championship bantamweight MMA contender 'Pretty Boy' Kwon Won Il of South Korea was disappointed in his first fight with divisional king Fabricio Andrade nearly three years ago.

But the 29-year-old P-Boy MMA representative says he simply wasn't in the right head space when they first locked horns.

Speaking to Sportskeeda MMA in an exclusive interview, Kwon says he had a lot of self-doubt heading into that matchup in June of 2022.

'Pretty Boy' said:

"It was something mental. Even until I made my walk into the ring, I was doubting myself."

Needless to say, Kwon is looking to put on a better showing in their upcoming rematch this weekend.

Kwon is set to challenge Andrade for the ONE bantamweight MMA world title.

The two lock horns in the co-main event of ONE 170, which will broadcast live from the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, this Friday, January 24.

Fans in the United States and Canada can visit watch.onefc.com to catch the event live and for free.

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Kwon Won Il taking cues from Jonathan Haggerty's finish of rival Fabricio Andrade: "I saw him go down"

Kwon Won Il may have the secret sauce to beating ONE bantamweight MMA world champion Fabricio Andrade once and for all when things go down at ONE 170 this weekend.

The 29-year-old says he has studied bantamweight kickboxing king Jonathan Haggerty's knockout victory over 'Wonder Boy' in late 2023 to pick up on tips to beating the Brazilian.

He told Sportskeeda MMA:

"I saw him go down with a punch against another fighter. It gave me confidence that the same thing would happen to him with my punch."

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding the event as it happens.