‘Nothing Better Than Some Revenge’ – Owen Jones Settles The Score With Fabricio Andrey At ONE Fight Night 44
Some fighters ease their way onto the global stage, but not Owen Jones. The 21-year-old British prodigy stormed straight through the front door and made his presence felt immediately.
Jones delivered an absolute masterclass in guard retention and leg-lock mastery at ONE Fight Night 44 on Prime Video. He edged out Fabricio “Hokage” Andrey by split decision in their highly anticipated featherweight submission grappling bout, airing live in U.S. primetime from Bangkok’s iconic Lumpinee Stadium.
Jones was thrown straight into the deep end. Andrey entered the contest riding a dominant three-bout ONE winning streak and was originally booked to challenge ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Champion Kade Ruotolo before a hand injury shelved the titleholder.
The Apex Jiu-Jitsu Atlanta affiliate stepped in and showcased absolute nerves of steel under the brightest lights of his young career. He matched Andrey’s high-octane offense on the feet before hunting leg-lock entanglements with relentless conviction once the action hit the canvas.
Ten minutes of high-paced grappling war produced one official catch apiece, but Jones had no doubt the judges’ scorecards would reflect the exact story he felt inside the ring.
He said:
“I had one really close inside heel hook where I popped his foot a few times, and then another few entanglements where I was catching the ankles. That’s why I got my catch eventually.
“A lot of times he was just walking backwards, waiting for big explosive moments. He got that one kimura to the armbar that was pretty close, but I didn’t really panic.”
That composure was tested almost immediately after Jones scored his catch. Andrey fiercely evened the odds by exploding into a hyperextended armbar that threatened to end the match in an instant.
For most grapplers, that deep submission attempt would have been checkmate. Yet, Jones flawlessly executed a textbook hitchhiker escape, inverted back into his guard, and never broke his stride.
He recalled:
“I don’t think he had a good enough leg configuration or control of the shoulder. He’s quite far away, and he just managed to pull my arm slightly in. I managed to clear the feet, cut the angle, turn my thumb towards the floor, and keep moving.
“I feel like the constant movement is very good at escaping submissions. Trying not to stay still the whole time, clearing my feet and my shoulder, I managed to get a nice escape.”
The hard-fought triumph erased a lingering blemish against “Hokage” and emphatically proved the outspoken Brit is a legitimate force to be reckoned with on the global stage.
Jones walked away satisfied but made it abundantly clear that the best is still yet to come.
He declared:
“Nothing better than some revenge. He beat me three years ago when I was an 18-year-old. To show that I’ve leveled up a lot since then and have a super competitive match where I dominated most of it, feels good.
“I’m always trying to put on a show. I’m not trying to stall, pushing the pace. That’s what you’re going to expect from me. I’m going to trash-talk, and I’m going to perform. Win or lose, I’m going to scrap.”
Jones Sets Sights On Ruotolo, Calls Out Cole Abate
The magnitude of defeating a top-tier name like Fabricio Andrey stretches far beyond personal revenge for Owen Jones. By halting the Brazilian’s immense momentum, the England-born grappler injected himself straight into the World Championship conversation.
Jones has made it perfectly clear he is ready for a title shot against Kade Ruotolo whenever the golden opportunity presents itself.
The 21-year-old said:
“I obviously beat the guy who had the shot at the title match, so I definitely think I’ve earned my right. All is fair in love and war, you know? So I’m coming in to scrap, it doesn’t matter, anyone can get it. I don’t care.”
With Ruotolo still healing from his injury, Jones would happily welcome a quick turnaround against another elite peer.
Beyond the gold, he joined ONE with a very specific target already in his sights, expressing a deep desire to battle “Ice” Cole Abate. Abate has already made his mark on the global stage by submitting grappling icon and former ONE Lightweight MMA World Champion Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki, and Jones sees their potential showdown as a must-see collision for grappling fans.
He concluded:
“That’d be a sick match. Cole and I are the same age, and we kind of came through the ranks, but we never managed to fight even when we were in the same division.
“I think it’d be a good clash of styles. Obviously, he’s quite good, so I love to kind of prove that he’s overrated. Go and smash one of the AOJ boys up, for sure.”
