"Nobody will try to go for the takedown" – Bibiano Fernandes previews Andrade vs. Kwon

Bibiano Fernandes is awaiting his return to the circle, but he has one eye open for a clash between two top contenders in Kwon Won Il and Fabricio Andrade.

The No.2-ranked Kwon will take on the No.4-ranked Andrade in the co-main event of ONE 158 on Friday, June 3. The bout promises to be an explosive matchup between ranked contenders, and Fernandes believes it will be a slugfest.

In an interview with ONE Championship, ‘The Flash’ broke down the matchup between the two fighters.

Bibiano Fernandes said:

“Both are strikers and have a very similar level. They don't do much jiu-jitsu in their fights, so it's hard to say who's the best grappler. In striking, their level is very similar. I believe that this fight will all be fought standing up. Nobody will try to go for the takedown. I think this fight will be striking all the time. One wanting to knock out the other.”

Kwon has a 100% finishing rate in ONE Championship, with all six of his wins coming by way of TKO. Meanwhile, Andrade’s last two wins in the promotion have come by way of first-round knockouts.

Fernandes further detailed the strengths of both fighters:

“Fabrício does jiu-jitsu, but I think he's going to want [to go with] the striking. The Korean has a bigger wingspan, while Fabrício changes a lot of his base and works well [with] the knees and the kicks. I believe that this fight will be all fought in the striking. I only see this fight going to the ground if the Korean knocks down Fabrício.”

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Bibiano Fernandes believes he still deserves a world title shot

Kwon Won Il and Fabricio Andrade have called their shots for a world title, which got them arguing on social media. While they will get their hands on each other at ONE 158, neither of them is guaranteed a world title shot just yet.

After all, the No.1-ranked fighter in the division is still one of the greatest champions in the history of the promotion, Bibiano Fernandes. The Brazilian did not offer any predictions for the Kwon-Andrade tilt, and said that he's not sure if the winner deserves a fight for the world title since he's still ready to go.

Fernandes said:

"Honestly, I don't know. I'm training and if I have to fight one more time for the belt, and I think I deserve it. I'll be ready. If not, I'll wait for what ONE Championship has to offer."