Fabricio Andrade will finally make his long-awaited return to ONE Championship when he defends his bantamweight MMA world title against Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu at ONE Fight Night 38 in Bangkok.
The December 7 event at Lumpinee Stadium marks the Brazilian’s second title defence – and his first fight in nearly 11 months.
Andrade, 27, last competed at ONE 170 inside Bangkok’s Impact Arena in January, when he stopped South Korea’s Kwon Won Il in just 42 seconds. That blistering TKO extended his record to 10-2 (1 NC) and reaffirmed his reputation as one of the most dangerous strikers in MMA.
But after another extended lay-off, the ‘Wonder Boy’ now faces a new challenge in Mongolia’s ‘Tormentor’, who has quietly put together a three-fight win streak to earn his first title shot.
The 36-year-old veteran has impressed with his relentless pace and durability, posting wins over Carlo Bumina-Ang, Aaron Canarte and Jeremy Pacatiw. His wrestling-heavy style has made him one of the division’s most underrated threats – and now, he steps into the biggest opportunity of his career.
Andrade, for his part, sent a simple message to fans on social media after the announcement: ‘#AndStill.’
The Brazilian champion has stayed patient despite inactivity in the bantamweight division, having waited nearly two years between his title-clinching win over John Lineker in February 2023 and his January defence.
He’ll aim to make a statement in December, and potentially set up a blockbuster 2026 campaign with fresh challengers such as Stephen Loman waiting in the wings.
The ONE Fight Night 38 card will also feature another world title bout.
Brazil’s Diogo ‘Baby Shark’ Reis, one of jiu-jitsu’s most exciting young stars, will meet Japan’s Daiki Yonekura for the vacant ONE flyweight submission grappling world championship.
Reis, a black belt under Melqui Galvao who made his ONE debut in March with a submission of Shoya Ishiguro via rolling kimura, now looks to cement himself as the new face of ONE’s flyweight division following the departure of former champ Mikey Musumeci.
Yonekura, 24, will make his ONE Championship debut, having earned acclaim in the Asian grappling scene for his aggressive, submission-first style.
The return of the legendary Liam Harrison was also confirmed for the event on Thursday. ‘The Hitman’ will face Japan’s Shinji Suzuki in a bantamweight kickboxing bout.