“I didn’t expect it to be such a big change” - Fabricio Andrade admits shortcomings in loss to Jonathan Haggerty

Reigning and undisputed ONE bantamweight MMA world champion Fabricio Andrade of Brazil admits he may have underestimated the transition between MMA and kickboxing when he fought English superstar Jonathan Haggerty in 2023.

Andrade and Haggerty locked horns for the vacant ONE bantamweight kickboxing world title at ONE Fight Night 16 in November 2023, with 'Wonder Boy' losing via second-round knockout in an exciting fight.

Speaking to Inside Fighting in a recent interview, Andrade assessed what went wrong in his quest for two-sport glory.

'Wonder Boy' said:

"I didn’t expect it to be so difficult, changing from MMA to kickboxing. But also, probably it was the glove difference, the rules difference. I think I didn’t expect it to be such a big change. There were a lot of things that changed, and I wasn’t expecting it. So I guess I wasn’t prepared for everything."

Needless to say, Andrade's spot-on self-evaluation proves that he is committed to bettering himself as a fighter, despite the setback.

Since then, Andrade has successfully returned to MMA to defend his bantamweight gold, but says he will attempt to return to achieving two-sport glory at some point.

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Fabricio Andrade reflects on recent setbacks

Fabricio Andrade is back on the right track after he fixed the holes in his game.

The 27-year-old Fortaleza, Brazil native says he learned a lot from his loss to Jonathan Haggerty, not the least of which is being consistent with his training.

'Wonder Boy' told Inside Fighting:

"For me, throughout the journey here at ONE Championship, you know, consistency I think has been the biggest lesson. Without it, you lose your way a bit. So you always have to have that goal and it helps you stay consistent."

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding Fabricio Andrade's next fight.