Fabricio Andrade says victory over Jonathan Haggerty ‘will taste even better’ with fans counting him out

Fabricio Andrade hopes to silence the doubters and the new wave of fight fans when he returns at ONE Fight Night 16 on Friday, November 3.

That evening, inside the revered Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, the bantamweight MMA king competes under kickboxing rules on the global stage of ONE Championship for the first time with the vacant bantamweight kickboxing gold up for grabs.

He faces an athlete who has already made a name for himself in the promotion’s striking realm, Jonathan Haggerty.

In the lead-up to this scrap, many in the combat sports world, who have solely seen ‘Wonder Boy’ compete in mixed martial arts, think the Brazilian athlete will walk into dark waters when he steps inside the ONE ring next week.

With a smirk, Fabricio Andrade had this to say during an interview with ONE Championship:

“I’m used to being the underdog. But I'm excited that many people are counting me out because when you beat a guy like that, it will taste even better, you know.”

Of course, the sentiment about him stepping into enemy territory is far from the truth. The HIIT Studio and Marrok Force athlete amassed a professional 40-3 kickboxing and Muay Thai record before debuting in the all-encompassing sport.

Having made a name for himself as a teenage phenom within the local circuit in Brazil, ‘Wonder Boy’ took his skills to the bigger leagues in China. There, he continued terrorizing opponents with his mix of aggression, speed, and power.

Despite that extensive experience in kickboxing, Fabricio Andrade refuses to let history overshadow what Haggerty, the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion, brings to the table on fight night.

So whether he is the underdog or not, ‘Wonder Boy’ is ready to let the fans be the judge of that once he gets across the finish line and becomes a two-sport ONE world champion.

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