Fabricio Andrade Previews Anticipated Clash Between Kwon Won Il and Shinechagtga Zoltsetseg, Identifies His Pick as Potential Next Challenger

Reigning ONE Bantamweight MMA World Champion “Wonder Boy” Fabricio Andrade will be paying extra close attention to the pivotal clash between “Pretty Boy” Kwon Won Il and Shinechagtga Zoltsetseg this Friday in U.S. primetime at ONE Fight Night 18: Gasanov vs. Oh on Prime Video. Slated to go down live in front of a raucous Bangkok crowd at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium, that much-anticipated contest pits two of the bantamweight MMA division’s most explosive and dynamic fighters against each other.

Nonetheless, Bantamweight champ Andrade will be watching the development with very keen eyes as one of them might just become his next challenger.

Fabricio Andrade’s assessment of Shinechagtga Zoltsetseg gameplan

Andrade recently spoke about the matchup, and while he’s quick to recognize that both men do their best work on the feet, he’s impressed by the South Korean’s continued evolution as a well-rounded mixed martial artist. The 26-year-old shared his thoughts on his competitors in the Bantamweight division.

“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,” explained Fabricio Andrade.

By that same token, the titleholder believes that Zoltsetseg, with his flashy and flamboyant style of striking, relies too much on his stand-up game. “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. 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 added.

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Indeed, the Mongolian fan favorite has established himself as a renowned knockout artist but has struggled against superior grapplers. This is why the Brazilian is not expecting a challenge from Zoltsetseg next.

Andrade sees Kwon Won Il as the potential winner of the bout

Kwon, meanwhile, has won two in a row – both by way of highlight-reel knockout – since suffering a non-title loss to Andrade in June 2022. The bantamweight kingpin admits that if “Pretty Boy” picks up another victory at ONE Fight Night 18, he could be the next challenger to the Brazilian’s gold.

That’s a rematch, says Andrade, that he’d happily welcome: “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. 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.”

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What is your opinion on Fabricio Andrade’s professional assessment of Kwon Won Il and Shinechagtga Zoltsetseg?