ONE 158: Kwon wants to land punch on Andrade's mouth to stop him from talking

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Kwon Won II delivered a message to his opponent at the upcoming ONE 158 event. "Pretty Boy" Kwon knows what's at stake in his upcoming MMA bout against #4-ranked bantamweight contender Fabricio "Wonder Boy" Andrade.

A win for the #2-ranked contender could put him next in line to face ONE Bantamweight World Champion John "Hands of Stone" Lineker.

But aside from potentially earning a World Title shot, he wants his Brazilian foe to eat some humble pie when they face off at ONE 158: Tawanchai vs. Larsen this Friday (June 3) at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Kwon has heard enough from Andrade, who's called himself everything from the best stand-up fighter in the division to the uncrowned bantamweight king.

Kwon finds those statements unnecessary, and it fuels him to score an impressive finish against Andrade.

"Nothing else matters. I want to land a punch on his mouth so that he can stop talking. By scoring a knockout, I think I can expect not just the usual bonus, but a triple bonus. That's what I think," the 26-year-old South Korean said.

Their match at ONE 158 could be one of the more explosive contests on the card because they've been trading barbs through social media and interviews with the press.

"He challenged and tagged me via Instagram, and I tried to leave a comment on his post, but he had disabled the commenting function," Kwon revealed.

"So, I'm speechless and don't understand what he's trying to do. I can't grasp his thinking process. He seems a little delusional to me."

But while Andrade ignored him online, Kwon won't take him for granted when they clash inside the ONE Circle.

"I have to admit he is a tricky opponent, for sure. He's pretty good at Muay Thai and an athlete who adopts his knees and kicks well," Kwon said.

"I admit, he's a good striker, but I'm not interested in his style or techniques because I strongly believe that I will be the winner of this match."

It's hard to see this contest going the distance given the knockout prowess of both competitors. Kwon has a 91 percent finishing rate, while Andrade is at 72 percent.

Kwon's last fallen athlete was former ONE Bantamweight World Champion Kevin "The Silencer" Belingon. Meanwhile, Andrade has defeated Jeremy "The Jaguar" Pacatiw, "The Underdog" Li Kai Wen, and Shoko Sato.

With 15 finishes in 18 combined victories, Kwon is confident that he will have his hand raised after this monumental showdown.

"At the end of the day, I guess it's going to be an exciting one since we're both going to aim for a knockout. It will be a fun match because I always prepare to [go for] a KO. I think this match will be the most exciting one out of the whole card," Kwon said.

Watch ONE 158: Tawanchai vs. Larsen live on Disney+ Hotstar or Star Sports Select 2, beginning with the lead card at 3 PM IST on Friday (June 3). The main card broadcasts live on Disney+ Hotstar and Star Sports Select 2 at 6 PM IST.

Source: Media Release