ONE Fight Night 38 post-fight recap and review: Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu stuns Fabricio Andrade to claim bantamweight MMA crown

(From left) Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu and Fabricio Andrade provided fans with a full-on brawl at ONE Fight Night 38. [Image: ONE Championship]
(From left) Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu and Fabricio Andrade provided fans with a full-on brawl at ONE Fight Night 38. [Image: ONE Championship]

Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu is your new ONE bantamweight MMA world champion. The Mongolian veteran created history and became the second fighter from his country to claim world title gold in the all-encompassing sport at ONE Fight Night 38 last Friday.

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The No.4-ranked contender claimed a huge upset of divisional king, knockout merchant Fabricio Andrade, in the main event of the promotion's final American primetime spectacle. The event took place inside the legendary Lumpinee Stadium on December 5.

Baatarkhuu, fresh off his sensational display that took Mongolia to the final of Netflix's Physical: Asia, mingled with 'Wonder Boy' on the feet in the opening stanza. He was out to prove that he had more than just his world-class grappling game.

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While he did throw a few, nothing matched Andrade's excellence on the feet. Moreover, his takedown attempts didn't go quite to plan. But the 36-year-old was rewarded for his consistency in round two.

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The Team Tungaa and Shandas MMA fighter, protege of former ONE featherweight MMA world champion Narantungalag Jadambaa, stayed in the hunt to switch levels.

Rather than just entering the pocket and shooting in for a double or single-leg attempt, 'The Tormentor' hid his takedown attempts behind his strikes. That success allowed him to find a route to 'Wonder Boy's back, where he threatened with a near match-winning D'Arce choke.

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Andrade, however, survived to hear the bell. But as he returned to his corner, the 28-year-old looked clearly out of sorts. Perhaps Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu's relentless ground game had gotten the better of him, or he knew something bad was in the offing.

Whatever it was, the Tiger Muay Thai megastar arrived in the third frame with one thing on his mind: To try and finish Baatarkhuu on the feet.

Andrade kept the action going behind perfectly-timed knees, elbows, and punches. Unfortunately, another takedown threw a spanner in the works. The Mongolian standout hit the Brazilian with big shots from mount until the very last second of the canto.

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Riding momentum from his success in round three, Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu stormed out of his corner and brought the knockout artist to the mats once again. He continued hunting for one finishing move after another until he forced a tap from the defending king to create history in the main event of ONE Fight Night 38.

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Official result: Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu submits Fabricio Andrade via rear-naked choke at 1:33 of the fourth round

The victory earned Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu a US$50,000 performance bonus from ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.

At the same time, he became the first man to defeat the seemingly invincible divisional king in MMA under the promotional spotlight.

It's been quite a journey for the 36-year-old in the promotion.

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Just over two years ago, the Road to ONE: Mongolia winner was competing in a curtain raiser fight. Fast forward to today, the Team Tungaa and Shandas MMA warrior's first headline attraction fight ended up going just as planned.

Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu's resume now stands at 14-3. Under the ONE banner, the martial arts veteran has gone 7-1, with five highlight-reel triumphs.

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Edited by Saiyed Adeem Karim
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