Fabricio Andrade in awe of how far he has come as a martial artist: “I always knew I would make it”

The top-ranked ONE Championship bantamweight contender, ‘Wonder Boy’ Fabricio Andrade is no doubt a confident guy. The 25-year-old has not been shy about declaring himself the best in the division -- he’s done so since joining the promotion in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

In light of his overflowing self-esteem, Andrade has indeed backed up the conversation and dispatched every man he’s been faced with in the Circle. Tough names like Shoko Sato, Li Kai Wen, Jeremy Pacatiw, and Kwon Won Il were all dealt with seemingly with ease. It’s no wonder Andrade has grown even more confident over the past couple of years.

He has certainly erased a lot of the doubt that surrounded him and proven much of the hype with his incredible performances. But if you ask him, Andrade will say he always knew he would reach the upper echelon of the sport.

In a recent interview with ONE Championship, Fabricio Andrade looked back at his humble beginnings and described how he feels now, that he’s on top of the stack. ‘Wonder Boy’ said:

“Every day I wake up, and I still can’t believe everything that’s happening in my life and how far I’ve come. But what excites me the most is that I always knew I would make it, even with all the difficulties.”

This Friday night, in the main event at ONE Fight Night 7 on Prime Video, Andrade will have the opportunity to forever cement his legacy among a very small group.

Fabricio Andrade will face former bantamweight king John ‘Hands of Stone’ Lineker for the vacant ONE bantamweight world title. ONE Fight Night 7 broadcasts live and for free in North America via Amazon Prime Video, tonight, February 24.

If he wins, ‘Wonder Boy’ will become the fifth man to hold the bantamweight throne, after Soo Chul Kim, Bibiano Fernandes, Kevin Belingon, and John Lineker himself.

---

Fabricio Andrade says there’s no bad blood with John Lineker heading into highly anticipated rematch

Long before their first fight even took place, Fabricio Andrade had already hounded John Lineker, confidently proclaiming his superiority over his Brazilian counterpart. Trash talk has been sufficient to provide an incredibly dramatic backdrop to this rivalry, but ‘Wonder Boy’ maintains it is all business.

In a recent interview with MMA Underground, Andrade says there’s actually no bad blood with ‘Hands of Stone’, and that it’s all just for show. He said:

“Yeah I think he’s patient you know, he was really patient and he’s a nice guy. We talked before the fight. He came to talk to me and he was really nice. But it is what it is. In the cage it’s all business. I want to knock him out, he wants to knock me out.”