"He deserves to be the new champion" - Fabricio Andrade gives props to new bantamweight king Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu

Fabricio Andrade may have left ONE Fight Night 38 without his bantamweight MMA world title. However, he had nothing but respect for the very man who dethroned him inside the Lumpinee Stadium on December 5.

'Wonder Boy' squared off against Mongolian challenger 'The Tormentor' Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu in the main event of the organization's final American primetime spectacle of 2025.

Though things started well for the Tiger Muay Thai affiliate after he rocked the 36-year-old a couple of times in the first two rounds, momentum began shifting in favor of the Team Tungaa and Shandas MMA affiliate as the match wore on in Bangkok, Thailand.

Baatarkhuu survived every punishment Andrade inflicted on him, started finding success with his grappling mechanics, and started mixing things up to put Andrade into a world of trouble.

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When the championship rounds kicked off, the Mongolian needed mere seconds to take the defending champion to the canvas before locking in the match-winning choke that earned him the ONE bantamweight MMA world title and a US$50,000 performance bonus.

Andrade reflected on the defeat and acknowledged that his dance partner was the better fighter that night during a recent clip he uploaded onto his official Instagram account (@fabricioandrade1) this past Monday.

"I’m recording this video here to talk a little bit about what happened in the last fight. Unfortunately, the positive result did not come, and I’m not recording this video here to give excuses. Really, that night, Enkh was the better fighter, and he deserves to be the new champion," the 28-year-old shared.

Watch the full clip here:

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Fabricio Andrade remains gracious in defeat

Though the defeat stung, Fabricio Andrade remains in good spirits as he now seeks to play the role of the hunter in search of the bantamweight MMA crown in 2026.

In the same clip, 'Wonder Boy' gave a shoutout to his fans and the Mongolian fans who praised him for putting on a show alongside Baatarkhuu inside the Mecca of Muay Thai earlier this month.

"I also want to thank everyone, regardless of the result, who have sent positive messages, support messages. Also, thank you to the Mongolian fans, who have been quite respectful, as Enkh also is. He was a very respectful guy, and the respect is mutual," Fabricio Andrade added.

North American fight fans can catch the entire ONE Fight Night 38: Andrade vs. Baatarkhuu card via replay on Amazon Prime Video.

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Edited by Saiyed Adeem Karim