Fabricio Andrade says he ‘can only be grateful’ for his success in ONE Championship this year

Despite the disappointing end to his last fight, Fabricio Andrade has had a breakout year in 2022. Entering 2022 as one of the most exciting rising contenders in ONE Championship, ‘Wonder Boy’ solidified his status as the top bantamweight in the promotion.

Andrade picked up two big wins in the first half of the year to cement his place as the number one contender. Facing Jeremy Pacatiw and Kwon Won Il, Fabricio Andrade defeated both men in the first round, spending less than three minutes inside the Circle with both fights combined.

The Brazilian’s pinpoint striking was on full display as he stopped both men with devastating efficiency. Whilst his fight with John Lineker that ended his year may have ended in an unsatisfying manner, he once again proved himself when stepping up another level.

Though it may have been Fabricio Andrade’s unintentional foul that ended the fight in a no contest, he walked away with a lot of respect for his performance. Facing an extremely dangerous fightwr in John Lineker, Andrade was able to control the majority of the fight and hurt his opponent several times.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Andrade spoke about the 12 months that he has had and how he reflects on it positively, despite missing out on achieving his dream of becoming a world champion:

“2022 was a year that many people got to know me and also recognized the level I am at. It was a year that opened many doors for me and changed my life financially. It was a very good year, and I can only be grateful.”

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Fabricio Andrade has developed a two-step plan

After having some time away following his last fight, Fabricio Andrade has planned out the next steps of his career.

His hopes of becoming the ONE bantamweight world champion came to a sudden halt when he landed an illegal knee to the groin of John Lineker at ONE on Prime Video 3. Ruled a no contest, Andrade and Lineker will settle their score in a rematch at ONE on Prime Video 7.

Whilst Fabricio Andrade still has this huge fight on the horizon, he is already making plans for his first world title defense:

“I think he [Stephen Loman] deserves to fight for the belt. He's a guy I've been talking about for a long time. He was champion of another event before joining ONE. He's a guy who has a good record and comes from good wins at ONE. I don't think he's the toughest opponent in the division, I don't think he's shown anything I haven't seen before, but he's next in line. And I'll be very happy to knock him out too.”

Andrade was arguably on track to beating Lineker before the fight ended. The 25-year-old now has an opportunity to become the bantamweight king five months after a disappointing ending at ONE on Prime Video 3.