Andrade announced his arrival at ONE: NO SURRENDER in July 2020 against fellow knockout artist Mark Abelardo. The Brazilian bloodied the Filipino Kiwi veteran with lightning-fast straight punches before showcasing his ground game in the second round. When Abelardo launched a desperate attack, Andrade smoothly defended himself, took him back and choked him unconscious within seconds. The bantamweight division was officially on notice.
Eight months later, he faced Japanese star Shoko Sato in ONE: UNBREAKABLE III. Sato was on a six-fight winning streak and over 45 professional fights heading into their February 2021 matchup. The No. 2 contender marked a serious step up in competition. Andrade handled him with relative ease, showing smart mat defense while dominating the stand-up exchanges. Vicious elbows in the clinch cut Sato’s head, leaving him battered before the judges awarded Andrade a clear unanimous decision.
The finishes resumed at ONE: WINTER WARRIORS II in December 2021. Chinese finisher Li Kai Wen had stopped his previous four opponents, but Andrade’s confidence never wavered. A piston-like jab delivered a clean knee to the body, signaling the beginning of the end. More knees followed before a high left kick and a flurry of punches sent Li crashing to the mat in less than five minutes.
Fabricio Andrade destroys path to title shot with back-to-back stoppages
The Brazilian proved his worth at ONE: FULL CIRCLE in February 2022 against rising Filipino sanda specialist Jeremy Pacatiw. Their matchup was expected to be closely contested. Andrade barely broke a sweat, catching Pacatiw as he lunged forward and sending him with a devastating knee to the liver in less than two minutes. The finish became one of his signature highlights.
Four months later on ONE 158, Fabricio Andrade needed just over a minute to destroy #2 Kwon Won Il. Fighting from the southpaw stance, he landed a thunderous left kick to Kwon’s body, sending the South Korean screaming in pain to the ground. The perfect representation of diverse, striking repertoire was the greatest opportunity of his career.
ONE’s first chance at a world title on Prime Video 3 ended in frustrating fashion. Former champion John Lineker was stripped for missing weight, leaving Andrade the only man eligible to win the vacant gold. The young contender immediately took charge, repeatedly finding Lineker’s chin with sharp jabs and straight punches. In round three, an accidental low blow shattered Lineker’s cup and forced a no contest. Andrade had shown he could handle the former champion, but the title remained unclaimed.
The rematch at ONE Fight Night 7 four months later left no doubt. Andrade’s cleaner boxing and brutal volume steadily took over as he split Lineker’s guard with straight punches and assailed his body with punishing kicks. Late in the fourth round, precise punches opened a deep cut above Lineker’s eye. His corner ended the fight between rounds and crowned Andrade the undisputed ONE Bantamweight MMA World Champion.
His first title defense at ONE 170 in January proved even more devastating. When Andrade faced Kwon for the second time, he adapted brilliantly. After faking the body kick that ended their first meeting, he slipped into a counter and buried a perfectly timed left hook into Kwon’s liver. The South Korean entered the match just 42 seconds into the match, the fastest finish of Andrade’s career and a brutal reminder of why he has become one of the sport’s most feared champions.
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