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Bantamweight contender Fabricio Andrade isn’t one to hold his thoughts, and the latest target of his tirades was ONE heavyweight world champion Arjan Bhullar.
Andrade, the No.2-ranked bantamweight contender, said in an interview with the South China Morning Post that he’s frustrated that the unification bout between Bhullar and ONE interim heavyweight world champion Anatoly Malykhin has been canceled.
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‘Wonder Boy’ even theorized that Bhullar is ducking Malykhin on purpose. Fabricio Andrade said:
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“Man, it’s super frustrating for everybody, and I cannot imagine being in the position that he is right now. Anatoly is a very hardworking fighter, you know? The guy has been training to fight Bhullar for months and months, spending time, money, effort, everything to fight the guy, and the guy just doesn’t want to fight him.”
Bhullar was supposed to take on Malykhin in a world title unification bout at ONE 161 on September 29 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. That fight, however, was scrapped after the Indian-Canadian star pulled out due to injury.
Malykhin and Andrade have trained together at Tiger Muay Thai in Thailand and this allowed the Brazilian star to see firsthand how ‘Sladkiy’ put in the effort to prepare for the titanic world title fight.
“So it’s been really frustrating, but he’s still training, he’s still ready. I’m not sure what’s going to happen to him now, but I’m sure he’s ready to fight anybody, anytime. I don’t think Bhullar wants the fight, honestly. He doesn’t want the fight, and I think the division should just move on,” said Andrade.
Details on when the world title unification bout between the two heavyweight stars are yet to be announced.
Catch Fabricio Andrade's interview below:
Fabricio Andrade is ready for his world title run
Fabricio Andrade has been on a tear since arriving at ONE Championship in July 2020. The 24-year-old racked up five straight wins, including a streak of three first-round finishes during his explosive path to world title contention.
As brash as anyone in the sport, Andrade said he’s ready to end ONE bantamweight world champion John Lineker’s reign and begin his tenure atop the division.
Andrade will get his chance against Lineker at ONE on Prime Video 3: De Ridder vs. Abdulaev on October 21 at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur.
In an interview with ONE Championship, Andrade said:
“He's a very short guy and I control the distance well. I believe I could control the distance well and use my knee to stop him. I'm sure this fight won't go past the first round. I'll knock him out or submit him in the first round.”
