Bibiano Fernandes blocks Fabricio Andrade on Instagram, young star responds: “He is mad because I’m the new king”

It seems Fabricio Andrade’s claims about being "the uncrowned bantamweight king" haven't gone down well with ONE bantamweight world champion Bibiano ‘The Flash’ Fernandes.

Through his Instagram stories uploaded yesterday, Fabricio Andrade revealed that the division king has now blocked him on the popular social media application.

His caption read:

“The bantamweight blocked me on Instagram. What a shame.”

“Where’s Bibiano?”

Screenshot from @fabricioandrade

The Thailand-based Brazilian fighter, known to fans as ‘Wonder Boy’, thinks that his recent run of highlight-reel finishes on the global stage might have sent some shivers down the spine of the promotion’s most successful MMA world champion.

Screenshots to back his claims.

In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA, Fabricio Andrade shared:

“I did nothing [to anger Bibiano]. I think he is mad because I am the new king.”

Bibiano Fernandes hasn't competed since Fabricio Andrade announced his presence on ONE’s talent-rich bantamweight roster at ONE: No Surrender in July 2020.

The Marrok Force MMA standout blitzed his way to a rear-naked choke win over Mark Abelardo in the second round of their bout. The young upstart then added to his momentum in his sophomore outing, where he fought off a resilient Shoko Sato to pick up a unanimous decision win.

Unimpressed by the manner of that win, the Brazilian returned to the global stage for a third time and knocked out China’s Li Kai Wen in spectacular fashion.

His most recent win came at ONE: Full Circle last month, where he maintained his winning streak with yet another highlight-reel finish over Jeremy Pacatiw.

The striking specialist has been eying up Fernandes throughout his time at the Singapore-based promotion. The Muay Thai specialist has the utmost respect for his fellow countryman, but believes his own pace, style and arsenal could topple the longtime division king.

“He was a great fighter, and he has done a lot in this sport. There’s no doubt about that. But now is my time. I am young, hungry, and the most dangerous fighter in the bantamweight division. And if we fight, I don’t plan to go to a decision with him,” Fabricio Andrade said.

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Fabricio Andrade offers thoughts on Fernandes-Lineker: “Maybe he won’t be a champion after Friday”

While he dreams of a hypothetical clash against Fernandes, the longtime champion will be putting his gold on the line against John ‘Hands of Stone’ Lineker in the co-main event of ONE: Lights Out this Friday, March 11.

‘Wonder Boy’ believes Lineker is the toughest test that Fernandes has ever faced on the global stage. He thinks that the top-ranked bantamweight star could pick up an upsetting win over his 41-year-old counterpart.

“Let’s see if he can best Lineker. I think he is the hardest opponent he has ever got. Maybe he won’t be a champion after Friday.”

Like fans around the world, Andrade will no doubt be tuning in to see how the action unfolds at ONE: Lights Out on March 11.