ONE bantamweight MMA world champion Fabricio Andrade had it rough while growing up on the outskirts of Fortaleza in Brazil. But it is the same experience and environment which led him to make something of his life.
‘Wonder Boy’ found it in doing combat sports, first in Muay Thai and kickboxing and later in mixed martial arts. Such a path led him to a lot of success in various promotions both in his homeland and abroad. The most recent is with ONE Championship where he joined in 2020.
In an interview with onefc.com, Fabricio Andrade provided a glimpse of what it was like growing up in his neighborhood, saying:
“I’ve had a lot of bad things in my life. I come from a very simple neighborhood on the outskirts [of Fortaleza]. There are gangs, criminal factions, and drug dealers, so I grew up seeing people die in front of me.”
Following a successful run in kickboxing, Fabricio Andrade continued to make waves when he made the jump to MMA. In ONE Championship, he has a record of six wins and zero losses with one no-contest.
He won the vacant ONE bantamweight MMA world title back in February, stopping former division king John Lineker by technical knockout (corner stoppage) in the fourth round.
On November 3, the 26-year-old HIIT Studio/Marrok Force affiliate goes for a second world title when he vies for the division’s vacant kickboxing belt against ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion Jonathan Haggerty of the United Kingdom.
It is the headlining match for ONE Fight Night 16 on Prime Video that will go down at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok and will air live on US primetime free of charge for existing Prime Video subscribers in North America.
Fabricio Andrade is looking to make it consecutive world title conquests for him.
It is the same mission that Jonathan Haggerty has after ascending to the bantamweight Muay Thai throne in his last fight back in April. Prior to winning the bantamweight gold, ‘The General’ held the ONE flyweight belt in the sport.
