Fabricio Andrade acknowledges Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu's toughness surprised him despite expecting a difficult challenge when they met at ONE Fight Night 38 on December 5 in Bangkok.
Baatarkhuu captured the ONE Bantamweight MMA World Championship with a fourth-round rear-naked choke at Lumpinee Stadium, earning a $50,000 performance bonus while becoming Mongolia's second MMA world titleholder. The Brazilian entered the bout having never lost in ONE Championship under MMA rules, building his undefeated run on devastating knockout power.
Andrade dropped Baatarkhuu early in the opening round and believed another highlight finish was within reach. That confidence proved costly as his eagerness to press for the stoppage left openings the Mongolian exploited with relentless wrestling and ground control.
"I knew he was going to be a very tough opponent, but it was still very surprising for me to see how he could recover. I've never seen anyone who can take that many hits, get dropped, survive, and come back like nothing happened. He's a very tough guy and a remarkable opponent," Andrade explained.
The Tiger Muay Thai representative had flattened John Lineker before scoring a 42-second stoppage of Kwon Won Il at ONE 170 in January. His finishing power had become his signature, creating expectations that worked against him when Baatarkhuu absorbed significant damage and continued pressing forward.
"Every time I hit someone, they're out, and they don't come back. Even in this fight, I think it was just around one minute, and I already dropped him. And I thought I needed to finish the fight. So I rushed a little bit," Andrade admitted.
The momentum shifted as the fight progressed into championship rounds, with Baatarkhuu's wrestling and ground control eventually overwhelming Andrade. The 36-year-old Mongolian entered riding a three-fight winning streak and delivered the performance of his career on the biggest stage.
Despite losing his title, Andrade expressed genuine happiness for Baatarkhuu's achievement. The former titleholder recognized the significance of his opponent's accomplishment at 36 years old following a breakthrough year that included gaining fame through Netflix's Physical: Asia before capturing gold.
"Enkh is a great man. He's a great person. He's a great fighter, too. Although I lost the fight, I was happy for him also because he's 36 years old, he just had a great year, he became famous with 'Physical: Asia,' and now he has become a World Champion," Andrade said. "So, I'm happy for him. I'm happy that he was able to achieve all of this, and now he's well-known around the world. I'm happy for his career. He's the toughest guy I've ever fought and the toughest guy I've ever seen."
The 28-year-old Brazilian views the loss as motivation for evolution rather than devastation. Andrade noticed many observers overlooked Baatarkhuu before the fight, already discussing potential future opponents and what would come next for his reign. He never made that mistake but recognizes the defeat creates opportunity for improvement.
"Setbacks only make us stronger. Before the fight, everyone was talking about how easy this would be, who would be next already. They were talking about possible opponents after this fight. People were overlooking this guy. Not me," Andrade stated. "Now, everything is more interesting. I need to evolve to prepare to get better and to come back stronger. I'm pumped to evolve and get better."
Having experienced Baatarkhuu's toughness firsthand, Andrade knows exactly what adjustments are necessary for the inevitable rematch. His knockout power remains his greatest weapon, but the next approach will require significantly more patience and discipline rather than rushing to finish.
"Going into the rematch, I think I'll need to be more patient. Like if I need to drop him 50 times in a fight, I really need to stay patient to drop him 50 times in the fight," Andrade explained. "Congrats on the good year, Enkh. I wish you all the best, but I'm going to come to take my belt back."
