Mark “Tyson” Fairtex Abelardo plans to take a page from his previous opponent’s playbook when he returns to the ONE Championship Circle next Friday.
Abelardo battles the debuting Fabrício “Wonder Boy” Andrade at ONE: No Surrender on July 31 in Bangkok, Thailand, where he looks to bounce back from his previous setback.
The 28-year-old lost to “Pretty Boy” Troy Worthen in February at ONE: King of the Jungle, but instead of sulking, he plans to do to Andrade what Worthen did to him.
“Troy was very good. His game plan was to utilize his wrestling well and that’s something I look to improve. I don’t want to be put on the fence like I did in that fight,” he said.
“I want to be the one doing that, and this time, I want to be the one putting more pressure and looking to finish as usual.”
Facing an All-American wrestler in Worthen, Abelardo experienced first-hand what it is like to be controlled inside the Circle by a more imposing opponent.
Now that he has worked on his shortcomings, the Filipino-Kiwi bantamweight plans to show those improvements against Andrade, who’s known for his striking.
“I’ll be looking to mix it all up, both standing and on the ground, just pressure him everywhere and just look to break him,” Abelardo said.
“I want to utilize a lot of my wrestling, take him down when the opportunity comes, and just wear him out and look from the finish from there.
“I want to look for a finish like I always do. Wear him down, put some pressure on him, and look to finish him in the second or if not, the third.”
With the match just a few days away, Abelardo hopes nothing but the best for his opponent, but he also sent “Wonder Boy” a warning.
“I wish him all the best and for him to keep safe during training camp, because when the fight comes, I am going to bring it—so I hope [he’s] ready.”
ONE Championship returns to live action for the first time in nearly five months with ONE: NO SURRENDER, a closed-door, audience-free card set for Friday, 31 July, in Bangkok, Thailand. Catch the event live and for free by downloading the ONE Super App.