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Fabricio Andrade could be eyeing a bantamweight title defense against one of two contenders he hasn't fought. In February 2023, Andrade captured the ONE bantamweight MMA world title with a fourth-round TKO win against John Lineker.
The Brazilian superstar attempted to become a two-sport world champion, losing against Jonathan Haggerty in kickboxing, and endured an extended layoff before returning for his first title defense in January.
Andrade secured a 42-second knockout win against Kwon Won Il in January to solidify himself as the most dangerous bantamweight MMA fighter in ONE.
The 27-year-old has started eyeing his next challenger, which he explained during an interview with the promotion:
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“Even though I’ve already beaten Lineker and Kwon Won, there are still two guys in the rankings that I haven’t fought yet: Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu and Stephen Loman.
Fabricio Andrade holds wins against number one-ranked John Lineker, number three-ranked Kwon Won Il, and number five-ranked Jeremy Pacatiw.
Meanwhile, number two-ranked Stephen Loman is coming off a loss against Lineker. As a result, number four-ranked Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu, who's riding a three-fight winning streak, is the most likely option for a title shot.
Watch Andrade knock out Kwon in their rematch below:
Fabricio Andrade considering two-division supremacy at featherweight
Fabricio Andrade is entering the prime of his fighting career and doesn't want to wait for bantamweight contenders to emerge. While speaking to ONE, 'Wonder Boy' had this to say about potentially staying more active by moving up to featherweight and attempting to become a two-division MMA world champion:
"Yes, I've thought about moving up a weight class. Of course, it's not an easy decision. I like to challenge myself, and that would be a great challenge, but there are many things that influence a decision like that"
The ONE featherweight MMA world champion is Tang Kai, who suffered his first promotional defeat against number one-ranked Akbar Abdullaev in January.
Abdullaev won by fifth-round knockout, but wasn't eligible to become the champion because he failed to make weight while hydrated.
Tang and Abdullaev could be matched up for an immediate rematch later this year. Therefore, Fabricio Andrade has an opportunity to defend his bantamweight title again before considering a move to featherweight for an immediate title shot.
Watch Abdullaev defeat Tang below:
