ONE 173: “He’s a good opponent”
Fabricio Andrade, the undisputed ONE bantamweight MMA world champion from Brazil, is gearing up to defend his title against a formidable challenger in the upcoming ONE Fight Night 38 on Prime Video. Scheduled for December 5 at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, Andrade will be facing off against the surging Mongolian fighter Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu.
Baatarkhuu, known for his suffocating top pressure and elite submission skills, has been on a winning streak since his loss to Artem Belakh. With victories over Carlo Bumina-ang, Aaron Canarte, and Jeremy Pacatiw, the Mongolian bruiser poses a serious threat to Andrade’s championship reign.
In a recent interview with the Bangkok Post, Andrade acknowledged Baatarkhuu’s credentials, stating, “Yes, he’s a good opponent. He’s coming from good wins. He had a loss against Artem Belakh back in—I don’t remember the exact date—but after that, he got three wins again. So, he’s deserving, you know. So let’s go.”
Despite the tough challenge ahead, Andrade remains focused on the task at hand. “You know, I just want to fight. I just want to defend my belt. It doesn’t really matter who it is, you know. As long as I have an opponent, I’m just going to go and finish them,” he said.
Andrade is coming off a dominant performance against Kwon Won Il, whom he defeated in just 42 seconds with a liver blow at ONE 170 in January. With the momentum on his side, the Tiger Muay Thai affiliate is confident in his abilities to retain his title against Baatarkhuu.
The highly anticipated event will also feature other exciting matchups, including Diogo Reis vs. Daiki Yonekura for the vacant ONE flyweight submission grappling world championship, Liam Harrison vs. Shinji Suzuki in a bantamweight kickboxing bout, and Isi Fitikefu vs. Dzhabir Dzhabrailov in a welterweight MMA showdown.
ONE Fight Night 38 will be broadcast live in U.S. primetime on Friday, December 5, exclusively on Prime Video for North American viewers. Stay tuned to Sportskeeda for the latest updates and news on this thrilling fight card.
About the author:
Ted has been a sports writer specializing in MMA and basketball since 2016, contributing to various online platforms.
This article was edited by Himakshu Vyas.
