Fabricio Andrade reveals hardships in his time competing in China: “I didn’t have friends or anyone to talk to”

Fans celebrate the achievements of fighters like Fabricio Andrade, but often the sacrifices required along the way go unnoticed.

While training at a large, international gym like Phuket’s Tiger Muay Thai today, Andrade once found himself in a very different circumstance. As a young fighter, Fabricio spent time training in China while he fought domestically for the Wu Lin Feng and Kunlun promotions.

The experience showed Andrade what it’s like to be an outsider in another culture and have to fend for himself.

Fabricio Andrade recently spoke to ONE Championship about that section of his martial arts journey and the challenges of living away from home:

"One of the worst was when I left my family in Brazil to live in China. I didn’t speak English, and I didn’t know anyone – just a manager who said he would get me a fight. I communicated through a translator, and it was very difficult. I lived at the gym with a lot of Chinese people, and I didn’t have friends or anyone to talk to."

The experience was likely a “growing up” experience for the young Brazilian that gave him the mental fortitude to be able to problem-solve in tough situations. There’s been plenty of success to come from Andrade’s time in China, and the results are evident.

After dropping his first fight in Kunlun, he won his next two fights in China and hasn’t lost since.

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Fabricio Andrade is not concerned about change from a cage to a ring in Lineker rematch: “we’re gonna be in front of each other”

When the ONE Fight Night 7 main event between Fabricio Andrade and John Lineker was announced to be moving from a cage to a boxing ring at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium, many wondered how that would affect the flow of the fight.

Not only is a retreating fighter more likely to get trapped in a corner, but grappling exchanges have much fewer obstacles to work for- or against- a fighter.

However, Andrade doesn’t seem to think it’ll matter much when the referee starts the action on Friday night. Speaking to the MMA Underground, Andrade explained why he doesn’t see the action changing much:

"I think there’s a little bit of a difference in the rules. If you get taken down then you go to the ropes, I think the fight comes back standing up, but it doesn’t change much, you know. We’re gonna be in front of each other and it is what it is."

The first fight between Lineker and Andrade mostly played out on the feet, with the exception of some brief moments where Lineker was able to take Andrade down. It sounds like Fabricio Andrade expects the fight to be a striking war and if he has it his way, another quick knockout.

Fans in North America can watch the action unfold on Prime Video this Friday with an active Amazon subscription.