“The knockout comes” - Fabricio Andrade plans to use his boxing to finish Kwon Won Il in world title defense at ONE 170

Fabricio Andrade is one of the most gifted strikers in MMA, and he plans to use one of the sport's fundamental foundations to finish off Kwon Won Il.

The reigning ONE bantamweight MMA world champion will defend his throne against the rampaging Kwon at the stacked ONE 170 event on Jan. 24, 2025, at Impact Arena.

Taking to Instagram to share his training camp progress, Andrade said he's been working harder than ever with Tiger Muay Thai boxing coach John Hutchinson to sharpen his stand-up ahead of his world title defense.

Andrade wrote that boxing has always been an integral part of his arsenal, and he expects that the discipline will be his base to knock the consciousness out of Kwon.

"Working on my boxing has been a big part of all my camps and this one is no different, who knows if next time I'll get a knockout with a punch? With a punch or not, the important thing is that the knockout comes," wrote Fabricio Andrade.

'Wonder Boy' was a stellar kickboxer before he transitioned to MMA later in his career.

The Brazilian knockout machine is a perfect 6-0 (1 no contest) in his MMA matches in ONE Championship, with four wins coming via knockout.

After submitting Mark Abelardo in his debut and settling for a unanimous decision against Shoko Sato, Andrade racked up four straight knockout finishes to claim the vacant ONE bantamweight MMA world title at ONE Fight Night 7.

Andrade scored vicious knockout victories over Li Kai Wen, Jeremy Pacatiw, Kwon, and finally, John Lineker to start his reign as the ONE bantamweight MMA world champion.

Kwon, meanwhile, is coming off three straight knockout wins against Abelardo, Artem Belakh, and Shinechagtga Zoltsetseg.

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Fabricio Andrade says he's not the same fighter Kwon Won Il fought before in 2022

They may have squared off before, but Fabricio Andrade is confident Kwon Won Il will be fighting a different beast come ONE 170.

Andrade previously knocked Kwon out when they met at ONE 158, and the reigning ONE bantamweight MMA world champion said he's already made massive improvements since their Singapore meeting.

In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA, Andrade said:

"A new and better version for sure. So I think I’m a different version than I was one or two years ago."