“I felt I had no motivation” - Fabricio Andrade recounts the grim reality of fighting through poverty in his hometown of Fortaleza

Fabricio Andrade knew early on in his life that he had to fight if he wanted to succeed and bring his family out of poverty.

The reigning ONE bantamweight MMA world champion said martial arts became his only solace while growing up in Fortaleza's poverty-stricken streets in Brazil.

Andrade said in an Instagram video that he sometimes felt things would never turn his way, but he never relented on his dream until he finally found his way to ONE Championship.

"I grew up in a very rough neighborhood, and for a kid who didn't have much, you start to question, like, what the future holds for you. For me, there were many moments I felt bad. I felt like I had no motivation," said Fabricio Andrade.

"As soon as I started to train, I had a goal, a dream, that I knew that if I achieved that dream I wouldn't have to do anything like that again," he added.

After building a stellar career in kickboxing, Andrade switched to MMA and became one of the sport's finest young stars.

Andrade is a perfect 6-0 (1 no-contest) in his MMA matches in ONE Championship, with four wins coming by knockout and one by submission.

After scoring a submission win over Mark Abelardo in his ONE Championship debut, Andrade went on a war path and racked up four knockouts in his list of finishes in the promotion.

Andrade folded Li Kai Wen, Jeremy Pacatiw, Kwon Won Il, and ultimately John Lineker to claim the vacant ONE bantamweight MMA world title at ONE Fight Night 7.

The Brazilian knockout machine now defends his throne when he takes on Kwon at ONE 170 on Jan. 24, 2025, at Impact Arena in Bangkok.

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Fabricio Andrade says he'll unleash his evolution against Kwon Won Il at ONE 170

Fabricio Andrade practically warned Kwon Won Il that he's not the same fighter from when they first squared off in 2022.

The current ONE bantamweight MMA world champion said he'll flaunt his new form when he defends his throne against his familiar foe in Bangkok.

Andrade told in an interview with Sportskeeda MMA:

"A new and better version for sure. So I think I’m a different version than I was one or two years ago."