Fabricio Andrade admits that his recent string of success allows him to have some fun, but stays focused on his goal

ONE Championship rising star Fabricio Andrade admitted to having a bit of innocent fun due to his recent string of successes but claims he remains focused on his goal.

The Brazilian phenom is now set to face ONE bantamweight world champion John ‘Hands of Stone’ Lineker. After a bitter war of words, the two rivals will finally settle their differences inside the Axiata Arena on Friday, October 21, at ONE on Prime Video 3.

On the path to becoming the No.2-ranked bantamweight, ‘Wonder Boy’ experienced a string of successes and massive bonuses, which can tempt any athlete his age to spend their hard-earned money on partying and everything that comes with it for the sake of fun.

When asked by Andrew Whitelaw from Asian MMA, if it’s ever been hard for him to avoid those types of distractions, the Brazilian fighter candidly replied:

“Yeah, before, there was not an option for me, because I didn't have money. I didn't have all the stuff that I have now. So there were no other options. Of course, I wanted to do this stuff, but that was not an option. I had to be focused."

Andrade continued by saying that he's just getting started and that he has only one goal on his mind:

"But now, it is an option for me. I can do a lot of stuff that I could not do before. But I think the fact is that for me, I'm just getting started. In my mind, I haven't done anything yet. For me now, the first step is to beat a name, that's John Lineker, you know. He has a name behind him, and I need to beat a guy like him. So for me, I'm just getting started. So I try to not think about anything else. And just stay 100% focused.”

John Lineker has always been on Fabricio Andrade’s hitlist, and the young Brazilian’s desire to face his compatriot burned even more when Lineker became world champion earlier this year.

Training at Tiger Muay Thai, the 25-year-old succeeded in getting his message across with three first-round knockouts. He’s worked too hard for too many years to let any distractions get in between himself and his future goal.

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Fabricio Andrade happy that his work is being recognized worldwide

Fabricio Andrade received high praise from MMA legend Demetrious ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson in the lead up to ONE on Prime Video 2.

He’s stoked and motivated by the overwhelming support he’s received over the last couple of months for his presence on stage and innovative fighting style. As a young man coming from the streets of Fortaleza, Brazil, the sky’s the limit for Fabricio Andrade.

‘Wonder Boy’ responded back to ‘Mighty Mouse’ through ONE Championship, with the following reply:

“It sure makes me very happy. Hearing this from a guy with the experience and the name he has motivates me a lot. It shows that my work is being recognized and motivates me to keep doing what I’m doing.”