Fabricio Andrade mind blown by Tawanchai's devastating kicking game: "It looked like they were going to explode"
ONE bantamweight MMA world champion Fabricio Andrade has shared a remarkable backstage observation that illustrates the monstrous kicking power possessed by Thai striking wizard Tawanchai PK Saenchai.
The Brazilian standout, who has established himself as one of MMA's most dangerous knockout artists, was left genuinely impressed after witnessing the PK Saenchai Muaythaigym standout's pre-fight preparation routine before his world title assignment against Superbon at ONE 170 this past January.
"For my last fight, I was in the same locker room as Tawanchai, and I saw that he was kicking this hard pad with all his strength, and his shins were very red," Fabricio Andrade told ONE Championship.
"It looked like they were going to explode, but he kept kicking. I was impressed by how strong his kick is and how hard his shin is."
It was one of the tools the ONE featherweight Muay Thai world champion relied on to successfully defend his 26 pounds of gold against the Superbon Training Camp founder inside the sold-out Impact Arena.
His intimidating leg kicks allowed him to set up his trademark combinations upstairs. Needless to say, Tawanchai made the most of his chances by sending the featherweight kickboxing king to the canvas thrice en route to a remarkable TKO at 1:10 of round two.
Andrade, too, walked out of the Thai capital with his hand raised. 'Wonder Boy' closed out his hotly anticipated return inside just 42 seconds against 'Pretty Boy' Kwon Won Il to secure the first defense of his ONE bantamweight MMA world title.
Both superstars earned a US$50,000 performance bonus courtesy of their highlight-reel finish.
Fight fans who missed any of the action from an explosive ONE 170 can rewatch the entire card via watch.onefc.com.
Fabricio Andrade fired up for ONE Championship return
Fabricio Andrade is ready to keep the ball rolling and build on his triumphant outing at the start of 2025.
The reigning ONE bantamweight MMA world champion took to Instagram last week to declare his readiness, writing:
"Can't wait to get back in there @onechampionship."
The Tiger Muay Thai representative is yet to taste defeat in his MMA matches under the ONE Championship banner. He's won seven, six coming inside the distance, and has a fight that ended in no-contest against former kingpin John Lineker.