The 28-year-old Brazilian makes his second title defense of 2024 following a 42-second knockout of Kwon Won Il at ONE 170 in January. Andrade captured the championship with victories over John Lineker and has compiled five finishes in seven ONE Championship appearances.
Andrade has adjusted his preparation to address Baatarkhuu’s grappling-heavy approach, which has produced submission victories over Jhanlo Mark Sangiao, Carlo Bumina-ang, and Aaron Canarte. The Tiger Muay Thai representative maintains his striking foundation while incorporating specific defensive wrestling techniques.
“My training camp this time is a little different,” Andrade said.
“I prepared a specific plan to defend what he does. He doesn’t change his style too much from fight to fight. So it’s easy to have an idea of what he’s going to try to do. So my whole training camp was to defend what he does while making him fight my fight. But it wasn’t too much change. We just did a little bit more specific work to focus on his style.”
The Mongolian challenger presents a stylistic contrast to Andrade’s previous opponents. Baatarkhuu earned his title shot with a victory over No. 5-ranked Jeremy Pacatiw at ONE Fight Night 29 in March, demonstrating the ground control and submission threat that defines his competitive approach.
Andrade views the matchup as an opportunity to validate his complete skill set beyond the striking ability that has produced his championship success.
“In Enkh, I get a new challenge, a different style, a guy who is going to challenge me in different areas that maybe none of the fighters before have tried,” Andrade said.
“So I’m excited to also show how good I am in different areas. I am a well-rounded fighter. I can do it all. And I have shown that with my striking in my past fights with my knockouts. This time, I’m going to show how good my grappling is because I’ve got a guy who’s gonna try to wrestle me.”
The Brazilian champion expects to finish Baatarkhuu despite the grappling challenge the Mongolian presents.
“I’m gonna finish the fight,” Andrade said.
“I don’t want to pick a round or anything like that because I want to enjoy the fight. I want to see how the fight goes. But, definitely, I’m gonna finish the fight. The belt is gonna stay with me.”
Andrade studied Baatarkhuu’s performance against Pacatiw following his own title defense in January. The champion acknowledges Baatarkhuu’s effectiveness while noting his approach produces less dynamic competition than striking-based contests.
“I wasn’t paying attention too much on Enkh, to be honest, right until his last fight when he fought Pacatiw right after I defended the belt,” Andrade said.
“He dominated Pacatiw. But I wasn’t impressed. It was a little boring of a fight, but he came to win. He’s a grappler. He’s a jiu-jitsu guy. He would try to do what he does. He grapples you, and he tries to make you tired, and it is a little boring. But I think he’s strong. He’s little, short, but strong.”
Andrade views a successful defense against Baatarkhuu’s grappling as validation of his championship credentials across all disciplines.
“This defense is important because of his different style,” Andrade said.
“You know, he’s a guy who has a different style from every opponent that I faced before. So for me to defend my belt against him now, and if I can dominate the fight, it’s going to show that I can do it, that I’m on a different level.”
