How Fabricio Andrade’s Perfect Run Built The Foundation For His Bantamweight MMA Championship Reign
Fabricio Andrade has carved a perfect 7-0 record across five years in ONE Championship through electric finishes, discipline, and steady evolution that transformed the Brazilian phenom from promising newcomer into the ONE Bantamweight MMA World Champion carrying a huge target on his back heading into his December 5 title defense against Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu at ONE Fight Night 38 on Prime Video.
The 28-year-old Fortaleza native’s unbeaten run showcases diverse weapons and adaptability that’s defined his ascent through the bantamweight ranks. Every outing added something different to his game, whether demonstrating ground skills, clinch dominance, or devastating finishing power that’s earned him a reputation as one of mixed martial arts’ most feared champions.
Andrade made his ONE debut at 22 years old against fellow knockout artist Mark Abelardo at ONE: NO SURRENDER in July 2020, using lightning-fast straight punches to set range while bloodying his opponent’s face. When a frustrated Abelardo lunged for a second-round takedown, Andrade swiftly took the Filipino-Kiwi veteran’s back and choked him unconscious in seconds — a rare showcase of ground game that put the bantamweight division on notice.
Facing streaking Japanese star Shoko Sato at ONE: UNBREAKABLE III in February 2021 represented serious competition elevation. Sato rode a six-fight winning streak into their contest while holding the division’s number two ranking across more than 45 professional bouts, yet Andrade handled the challenge with relative ease through savvy mat defense and stand-up dominance. He proved particularly effective in the clinch, using vicious elbows to open cuts that left Sato in a crimson mask before earning clear-cut unanimous decision.
Andrade’s December 2021 meeting with dangerous Chinese finisher Li Kai Wen at ONE: WINTER WARRIORS II showcased the piston-like jab that would become his trademark. After upsetting Li’s rhythm through consistent distance management, a clean knee to the body signaled the beginning of the end. Andrade poured on strikes including more body knees before a left high kick and punch flurry sent the Chinese athlete crashing down in under five minutes.
Filipino sanda specialist Jeremy Pacatiw fell in less than two minutes at ONE: FULL CIRCLE in February 2022 when Andrade caught him lunging forward and dispatched him with a devastating liver knee — one of his most brutal finishes that would ultimately live in his highlight reel. Four months later at ONE 158, Andrade needed just over a minute to demolish then-number-two-ranked Kwon Won Il with a thunderous left body kick that sent the South Korean screaming to the floor.
Andrade’s first title opportunity at ONE on Prime Video 3 ended anticlimactically when an inadvertent low knee shattered Lineker’s cup in round three, forcing a no contest. Yet the young contender had shown he could handle the former champion through sharp jabs and straight punches that caused swelling around Lineker’s right eye while forcing the forward-marching veteran into defensive takedown attempts. Four months later at ONE Fight Night 7, Andrade left no doubt. His cleaner boxing and relentless volume steadily took over their high-paced striking battle as he consistently split Lineker’s guard with straight punches while targeting the body with punishing kicks. Late in round four, a string of precise punches opened a deep cut above Lineker’s eye that forced his corner stopping the fight between rounds, crowning Andrade as undisputed ONE Bantamweight MMA World Champion.
Andrade’s first title defense at ONE 170 in January saw him face Kwon Won Il again, finishing him even quicker than their first encounter. Knowing Kwon would expect the body kick from their initial meeting, Andrade adjusted brilliantly by feinting the kick before slipping inside a counter and burying a perfectly timed left hook into Kwon’s liver. The South Korean immediately crumpled just 42 seconds into the contest—the fastest finish of Andrade’s career and brutal reminder why he’s become one of the sport’s most feared champions.
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