“The best version of me” - Fabricio Andrade gunning for an ‘awesome performance’ in his return fight at ONE 170

Image provided by ONE Championship
Image provided by ONE Championship

Fabricio Andrade aims to deliver the absolute best version of himself this Friday night.

Emanating from Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, on January 24, 'Wonder Boy' will return to martial arts' biggest global stage for the first time in more than a year to put his ONE bantamweight MMA world championship on the line against streaking South Korean standout Kwon Won Il.

It will be the second-ever meeting between Andrade and Kwon, their first coming at ONE 158 in June 2022. That night, Andrade scored a vicious 62-second body-kick KO, setting the stage for his first ONE world title opportunity against then-champion John 'Hands of Stone' Lineker.

Andrade went on to defeat Lineker in a lights-out performance at ONE Fight Night 7. Now, he'll be tasked with once again taking on Kwon after 'Pretty Boy' put together an impressive trio of wins in his last three outings.

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Speaking with Sportskeeda MMA in an exclusive interview, Andrade promised to bring the best version of himself to The Land of Smiles and hopefully leave with both his 26 pounds of gold and another highlight-reel knockout on his resume.

"I believe this isn’t just going to be a new version, probably the best version of me," Andrade said. "So I want to put that all into my performance, defend my world title, and get that win - hopefully by a knockout. That’ll be an awesome performance for me and my fans."

Kwon Won Il seeking redemption against Fabricio Andrade at ONE 170

While Fabricio Andrade has been sidelined for the last year, dealing with a series of injuries and a loss in his kickboxing debut against Jonathan Haggerty, Kwon Won Ill has been stacking bodies and working his way back up the contender's ladder.

Since coming up short against 'Wonder Boy' nearly three years ago, 'Pretty Boy' has finished his last three opponents inside the distance, including KOs against Mark Abelardo, Artem Belakh, and most recently, Shinechagtga Zoltsetseg.

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Those victories were good enough to earn Kwon a spot as the third-ranked contender in the bantamweight MMA division, setting the stage for one of the most anticipated rematches of 2025.

Will Kwon Won Il even the series and claim his first ONE world title, or will Fabricio Andrade go two-up on the South Korean and get his new year started with a bang?

ONE Championship fans can catch ONE 170: Tawanchai vs. Superbon II live on Friday, January 24, at watch.onefc.com.

Follow One Championship News, Schedule & Results at Sportskeeda.

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Edited by C. Naik
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