“Who is next?” - Bantamweight MMA king Fabricio Andrade issues an open challenge to anyone who dares go up against him
Fabricio Andrade is back to full health and ready to face anyone who dares to challenge him for his throne.
The reigning ONE bantamweight MMA world champion looks to have recovered from the string of injuries he suffered in 2023 and basically told ONE Championship to send anyone to face him.
Taking to Instagram, Andrade asked the promotion who would be the first challenger to his ONE bantamweight MMA world title.
Fabricio Andrade wrote:
"Who is next? @onechampionship #mma #champion #onechampionship"
Andrade looked like an unstoppable rocket when he made his ONE Championship debut in July 2020.
After he submitted Mark Abelardo in his first fight for the promotion in July 2020, 'Wonder Boy' racked up four straight wins and booked a shot for the ONE bantamweight MMA world title against John Lineker at ONE on Prime Video 3.
His first shot at gold, however, ended up in disappointment when he inadvertently cracked Lineker's nether regions that 'Hands of Stone' couldn't recover from.
The fight ended in a no-contest, but Andrade's quest for gold resumed at ONE Fight Night 7 where he finally stopped Lineker via fourth-round technical knockout for the bantamweight MMA strap.
Andrade then challenged for the vacant bantamweight kickboxing world title but lost to the division's Muay Thai world champion Jonathan Haggerty at ONE Fight Night 16.
Months after his loss to Haggerty, Andrade revealed he was nursing multiple injuries and decided to go back home to Brazil over the holidays to recuperate.
Fabricio Andrade honored to receive lofty praise from Demetrious Johnson
Fabricio Andrade's striking-based style easily caught the attention of the viewing public, including the legendary Demetrious Johnson.
The ONE flyweight MMA world champion has said in several interviews, including the one he had with Joe Rogan, that Andrade is one of the fighters he's always excited to watch.
In an interview with the South China Morning Post, Andrade shared what it meant to receive such incredible praise from Johnson.
"It's special because they know where I come from, you know, and like I did something that's almost impossible you know. Everybody's still doing the same thing they were doing and I'm like on the TV fighting those [guys] like John Lineker, you know he's a very well-known name in Brazil you know, now, you know, so that's some achievement, you know."