Fabricio Andrade Eyes His Next MMA Challenger, Kickboxing Rematch With Jonathan Haggerty
Reigning ONE Bantamweight MMA World Champion Fabricio “Wonder Boy” Andrade has his sights set on big challenges – both new and old.
In January at ONE 170, the Brazilian superstar needed less than a minute to dispatch South Korean sensation Kwon Won Il in highlight-reel fashion, marking the first defense of his gold and extending his MMA winning streak to seven.
Although he’s still young in his ONE Bantamweight MMA World Title reign, Andrade already holds victories over three of the division’s top five, and of the two remaining ranked fighters, one is coming off a loss.
With that in mind, “Wonder Boy” told onefc.com that there’s a clear-cut top contender for his belt – #4-ranked “The Tormentor” Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu:
“Mongolian Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu, who just beat Jeremy Pacatiw, is a very experienced MMA fighter. He is coming off three straight wins and has fought in the top division, so he is a guy with a lot of experience. He is a strong guy with a very good grappling game. He is a guy who could definitely be a challenge for me in grappling.”
Indeed, the battle-hardened Baatarkhu has employed his gritty grappling and vicious clinch game to rack up three straight wins against top-flight competition in ONE. His most recent victory over Pacatiw in March at ONE Fight Night 29 served as a showcase for his World Championship potential.
With the bantamweight MMA division’s landscape constantly evolving, Andrade believes Baatarkhu is deserving of a shot:
“I believe he is ready to fight for the belt because he is on a winning streak and because I have not fought him yet. I think that would be the fight to make at the moment.”
A potential showdown between “Wonder Boy” and “The Tormentor” would make for an intriguing stylistic clash.
But beyond defending his MMA crown, Andrade said he has unfinished business with current bantamweight kickboxing king Jonathan “The General” Haggerty.
The Brazilian came up short against Haggerty in his November 2023 bid for the vacant ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Title, and he’s eager for redemption in another cross-discipline clash:
“I definitely want to do a rematch with Jonathan Haggerty. He’s a very good athlete, a very well-known guy in the sport, and I think in our first fight, I didn’t show up to fight. I think I didn’t show my skills. It was a bad day for me, not only because of the defeat, but also because of the fight itself, because I wasn’t able to show what I wanted to show.”
Andrade: ‘Other Tough Athletes Will Emerge’ At Bantamweight
Considering his incredible run of dominance in the bantamweight MMA division, many fans are wondering if and when Fabricio Andrade could move up to featherweight and chase two-division glory.
For his part, the 27-year-old said he still has plenty to accomplish at bantamweight:
“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. It’s hard to say that I’m close to cleaning the division, and I also believe that other tough athletes will emerge who could be big challenges for my career.”
With potential fresh fights against ranked contenders like Baatarkhuu and Loman on the table, and fast-rising upstarts like Carlo Bumina-ang and Ibragim Dauev making waves, the titleholder sees no shortage of fun fights at bantamweight.
Andrade acknowledged that moving up to featherweight has crossed his mind, but he’s not ready to make the jump yet:
“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.
“Right now, it’s more interesting for me to stay in my weight class and continue defending my belt.”
