Bantamweight MMA king Fabricio Andrade to defend his crown vs. Kwon Won Il at ONE 170 on January 24
ONE bantamweight MMA world champion Fabricio Andrade will step back into action in the main event of ONE 170 to defend his prized possession against 'Pretty Boy' Kwon Won Il.
ONE Championship revealed the news on its site just a day before ONE 169 last Friday.
The pair of bantamweight wizards have been chomping at the bit to renew their rivalry over the past year, and all their back-and-forth should result in an electrifying affair inside Bangkok's Impact Arena on Jan. 24.
The South Korean slugger earned his shot at the divisional gold after racking up three successive finishes against Shinechagtga Zoltsetseg, Artem Belakh, and Mark Abelardo.
Shortly after his most recent triumph against Zoltsetseg at ONE Fight Night 18, Kwon held nothing back in his post-fight speech, declaring that he would kill the defending king should they run it back.
History suggests otherwise, however.
Back when the two traded leather at ONE 169 in June 2022, Fabricio Andrade put the 29-year-old to sleep in just 62 seconds of their non-title bantamweight MMA bout, a knockout that set Andrade up for his stint at the top of the division.
Moreover, the Brazilian martial artist has yet to taste defeat in the discipline under the ONE banner, racking up six victories from seven (one no contest) over the past four years.
Though 'Wonder Boy' heads into this contest off a knockout loss to Jonathan Haggerty in their ONE bantamweight kickboxing world title fight, he is ready to remind the world that he still reigns at the top of the MMA division when he takes to the circle alongside Kwon at ONE 170 next year.
Fabricio Andrade-Kwon Won Il joins another pair of belters at ONE 170
Apart from Fabricio Andrade and Kwon Won Il's five-round tilt, ONE 170 will see two more world title contests on the line.
In the main event, ONE featherweight Muay Thai world champion Tawanchai PK Saenchai puts his gold on the line against the division's interim kickboxing king Superbon.
In addition, newly crowned two-sport, two-division world champion Superlek Kiatmoo9 looks to successfully retain his Muay Thai crown against No.2-ranked Nico Carrillo.
North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription can catch the two go at it live in U.S. primetime for free.