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Fabricio Andrade Defends Bantamweight Crown Against Kwon Won Il At ONE 170

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On January 24, ONE Championship will light up Bangkok, Thailand, with a ferocious bantamweight rematch at ONE 170. ONE Bantamweight MMA World Champion Fabricio Andrade returns to action to defend the gold against Kwon Won Il. The title tilt becomes the third World Championship clash for the event.

The two talented stars first met in 2022 at ONE 158. Andrade won by knockout in just 62 seconds, but the South Korean warrior has stayed strong since that day. “Pretty Boy” has looked exceptional with three victories to earn his shot at the Brazilian.

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Kwon returned later in 2022 with a TKO win over Mark Abelardo to quickly get back in the win column. In 2023, the South Korean turned away ultra-tough Russian Artem Belakh by TKO. The back-to-back wins set up a 2024 matchup with Shinechagtga Zoltsetseg, which Kwon took by his third-straight TKO win.

After dispatching of Kwon, “Wonder Boy” captured the ONE Bantamweight MMA World Title from John Lineker. Although his bid to become a two-sport World Champion against Jonathan Haggerty fell short, Andrade has been near-perfect in MMA competition. ONE 170 marks the first defense of the crown and could help to affirm that his prior result against Kwon was not a fluke.

The rematch is important for both men. Kwon gets his shot at redemption, while Andrade looks to re-establish his dominance in his first title defense. The title tilt joins Tawanchai PK Saenchai’s ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Title defense against Superbon and Superlek Kiatmoo9 defending the ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title against Nico Carrillo, ensuring ONE 170 is starting 2025 off with a bang.

ONE 170 airs live from the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand. The action begins at 7:30 a.m. EST/4:30 a.m. PST. Stay tuned for more announcements in the weeks ahead.

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Jeremy Brand is an experienced MMA writer and columnist. He is the founder of MMASucka.com, and has represented the company with media credentials at many mixed martial arts fights. Jeremy is also a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, training in BC, Canada.