Fabricio Andrade says his striking is “going to be on another level” in MMA when he returns from kickboxing detour

ONE bantamweight mixed martial arts world champion Fabricio Andrade believes his swinging back to kickboxing for his next fight would only enhance his striking when he returns to MMA after.

‘Wonder Boy’ makes a detour to kickboxing at ONE Fight Night 16 on Prime Video on November 3 in Bangkok, Thailand. He will vie for the vacant ONE bantamweight kickboxing world title against the division’s Muay Thai king Jonathan Haggerty in an all-champion title clash.

Kickboxing is not necessarily new to MMA title holder Fabricio Andrade, having extensive experience competing in the striking art prior to joining ONE Championship in 2020.

In an interview with The MMA Superfan, the 26-year-old HIIT Studio/Marrok Force standout shared that having focused on his striking in preparation for his upcoming fight, he feels he has improved on that facet of his game, which should come big when he returns to competing in MMA.

Fabricio Andrade said:

“When I fought MMA I was more focused on defending takedowns and things like that because I like to keep the fighting standing but for this fight I'm just improving my skill in standing up. So it's been very enjoyable and I think even after this fight when I come back for MMA my striking is going to be on another level.”

Check out the interview below:

Fabricio Andrade is looking to make it back-to-back title conquests after bagging the vacant ONE bantamweight MMA world title in February. There he pummeled former world champion John Lineker en route to the championship-clinching fourth-round technical knockout (corner stoppage) victory.

His upcoming opponent, Jonathan Haggerty, too, is also fresh from winning a world title in his last fight, knocking out Thai superstar Nong-O Hama in the opening round to become the new ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion back in April.

It was actually his second ONE world title, having once held the promotion’s flyweight Muay Thai gold.

ONE Fight Night 16 will take place at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium and will air live on US primetime free of charge for existing Prime Video subscribers in North America.