Fabricio Andrade says violence was the norm growing up in Brazil: “It was a very traumatic childhood” 

Reigning ONE bantamweight MMA world champion Fabricio Andrade opened up about his difficult upbringing in Brazil.

Today, ‘Wonder Boy’ is one of the best mixed martial artists in the world today, boasting an undefeated record under the ONE Championship banner. That includes an impressive TKO over veteran heavy-hitter John Lineker to claim the bantamweight `MMA world title in February.

But achieving that level of success came with a heaping dose of adversity during his years as a child growing up in the fifth-largest nation in the world.

“I saw friends die, teenagers who were my age at the time taking their own lives,” Andrade revealed during an interview with ONE Championship. “It was a very traumatic childhood for me. Despite being insane to the world, this was normal when I was a child. So, it was a very complicated childhood.”

On November 3, nine months removed from his epic world-title-winning performance against John Lineker, Fabricio Andrade will return to the Circle for a showdown with another reigning world champion, Jonathan Haggerty.

The two men will headline ONE Fight Night 16 with the vacant ONE bantamweight kickboxing world title on the line.

For Jonathan Haggerty, the bout will be his first appearance since claiming the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world championship following a stunning first-round knockout of striking icon Nong-O Hama at ONE Fight Night 9 in April. ‘The General’ enters the bout riding a four-fight win streak while Fabricio Andrade meets Haggerty with an impressive 6-0 record under the ONE banner.

With both fighters stepping into the Circle on a hot streak, the fireworks are guaranteed to fly when Brazil meets the UK in a dream match on martial arts’ biggest global stage.

Amazon Prime Video subscribers in North America can catch all the action at ONE Fight Night 16 live and for free in U.S. primetime on November 3.