Fabricio Andrade predicts Kwon Won Il vs. Shinechagtga Zoltsetseg at ONE Fight Night 18

By BJPENN.COM Staff - January 11, 2024

As the excitement builds for ONE Fight Night 18 on Prime Video, Fabricio Andrade will be keeping a close eye on a pivotal bantamweight MMA bout slated for this Friday, January 12.

Fabricio Andrade

On the card, #3-ranked Kwon Won Il squares off against the hard-hitting Shinechagtga Zoltsetseg. This three-round encounter could determine the next contender for Andrade’s ONE Bantamweight MMA World Title.

“Wonder Boy” is particularly intrigued by this matchup at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. In fact, he suggests that Shinechagtga faces an acid test at the hands of Kwon.

“Shine Zoltsetseg has some gaps, and he will give up the fight as it goes on, especially if the opponent takes the fight to the ground,” Andrade said.

“His ground game is very weak. He has great knockout power, but his takedown defense is very weak, and so is his ground game.”

Andrade believes Kwon possesses layers in his game that could pose a significant problem for Shinechagtga.

“This is a very good fight. There are two strikers, but I see more holes in Shine Zoltsetseg’s game. As much as Kwon Won Il is a striker, he has been evolving a lot – not only in striking, but also in grappling,” the champion stated.

With Kwon eyeing a third consecutive victory, Andrade sees him as a worthy challenger.

“If Kwon wins, I believe he could be the next contender. And it would be a good fight against him. I’ve faced him before, and he’s a guy who promotes fights a lot,” the Brazilian mentioned.

“He’s a guy who creates attention and generates expectations for fans with the way he promotes his fights, so I think it would be a good fight for me.”

Fabricio Andrade breaks down two more bantamweight MMA matches booked for ONE Fight Night 18

The bantamweight MMA division is set to showcase its depth with two more compelling matchups at the legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday.

Fourth-ranked contender Artem Belakh battles Mongolian bruiser Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu in a matchup promising fireworks.

Meanwhile, Mark Abelardo goes toe-to-toe with undefeated promotional newcomer Ibragim Dauev in the opening contest.

Fabricio Andrade sees these bouts as a testament to the competitiveness of his weight class.

“The division is very busy, and not just in MMA. In kickboxing and Muay Thai, the bantamweight division is also very exciting. In MMA, we have big names like John Lineker, so it’s a division that is very well served by great talents,” he shared.

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