Stephen “The Sniper” Loman’s title aspirations had to take a backseat after ONE bantamweight champion Fabricio “Wonder Boy” Andrade decided to chase another belt in a different sport.
Andrade will battle ONE bantamweight Muay Thai champion Jonathan “The General” Haggerty for the vacant bantamweight kickboxing title in ONE Fight Night 15 on October 7 inside Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Of course, Loman would have wanted to get his shot at the red-hot Brazilian, but he understands that getting such opportunities comes with being a ONE champion, especially for Andrade.
“I wish he would have defended his MMA belt first before jumping to another sport, but I guess that’s one of his luxuries as a champion. He can chase other belts in other sports,” he said.
He actually believes his bantamweight rival may also do well against one of the best strikers in the world.
After all, it was in the sports of Muay Thai and kickboxing that Andrade made his debut, starting in Brazil at age 13 before flying to Thailand to train and compete there.
“The Sniper” doesn’t believe Andrade will have to adjust much for his return to the all-striking rule set, especially with the Brazilian’s foundations clearly still intact.
“I think Fabricio will just be focusing on his training in the striking area. He’ll just have to go back to his roots, to his background. He just has to focus on striking and training,” Loman said.
While he doesn’t have a prediction on who will come out on top, he knows that Andrade will make a fight out of it.
“I think he wants to go toe-to-toe with Haggerty. He’s got a solid Muay Thai background, he’s been doing that since he was a kid, and he’s been competing since then,” he said.
“I just don’t know if there will be a knockout, but I expect them to stand toe-to-toe. This will be an amazing fight for sure.”
