“That mentality wasn’t there” - Kwon Won Il admits shortcomings in first defeat at the hands of Fabricio Andrade

Kwon Won Il explained the lessons he learned from his first fight against Fabricio Andrade.

In June 2022, Kwon and Andrade were matched up at ONE 158: Tawanchai vs. Larsen in Singapore. Things didn't go as planned for the South Korean bantamweight, with Andrade emerging victorious by first-round knockout.

On Jan. 24, 2025, Kwon has an opportunity to avenge his loss against Andrade when he challenges the bantamweight MMA champion in a rematch.

Kwon recently talked about his upcoming fight with Andrade during an interview on 'Anything Goes.' The 29-year-old had this to say about the important lessons he learned for their first bout at ONE 158:

"I can honestly say that the biggest lesson I learned was mentality. During the first fight, as I mentioned before, my mental wasn’t there. That mentality wasn’t there. So I learned a lot from that first fight. And now I know how important it is to have that mentality when fighting. So, this time, I won’t be showing that."

Fabricio Andrade vs. Kwon Won Il is the third world title fight added to ONE 170. In the main event, Tawanchai PK Saenchai looks to retain his featherweight Muay Thai throne in a rematch against Superbon. Tawanchai won the first meeting in December 2023.

As for the co-main event, Superlek returns to defend his bantamweight Muay Thai world title for the first time after dethroning Jonathan Haggerty. The two-sport champion has been matched up against dangerous contender Nico Carrillo.

ONE 170 goes down inside the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand. The upcoming event can be seen live and for free by North American and Canadian viewers with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.

Check out Kwon's entire interview with 'Anything Goes' below:

---

Fabricio Andrade plans to make statement against Kwon Won Il after extended layoff

Fabricio Andrade last fought in November 2023, suffering a second-round kickboxing loss against Jonathan Haggerty. Andrade didn't return in 2024 to recover from lingering injuries and focus on evolving every aspect of his game.

Heading into ONE 170, Andrade plans to remind everyone why he's considered one of the best MMA fighters in the promotion. 'Wonder Boy' holds an undefeated promotional record of 6-0 in the sport, including five wins inside the distance.