ONE Championship: Fabricio Andrade ready to ‘answer a lot of questions’ in Bangkok
Ahead of ONE Fight Night 38 next month, Brazilian credits technical training at gym in São Paulo with improvements in his performance
Fabricio Andrade has spent years building his reputation as one of the most dangerous bantamweights in mixed martial arts. Beautiful striking and a sharp fight IQ have carried the Brazilian to the top of the division. But ahead of ONE Fight Night 38 in Bangkok next month, Andrade believes this title defence offers something different: it gives him the chance to silence anyone who still doubts his grappling.
“A lot of people still question my grappling,” Andrade said. “They think if I fight a wrestler I will get taken down. I think with this fight I can answer a lot of questions.”
His opponent, Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu, goes into his first title shot on the back of three straight wins, two of which were from submissions, and Andrade respects the threat he poses.
“He is tough,” Andrade said. “He lost once to my teammate Artem Belakh, but he came back with good wins. He is very experienced.”
The match-up on December 6 comes after a long camp centred on sharpening skills that many casual fans still overlook. Andrade said he had been preparing for this opponent for a long time, working on distance management, grappling scrambles and defensive reactions.
“I have been working a lot and developing my skills,” he said. “It does not matter if I do not have a fight booked. I train and try to get better.”