“I want to do bigger things” - Fabricio Andrade excited to take his career to the next level

For Fabricio Andrade, winning the ONE bantamweight world championship is step one. After that, fans will have to wait and see.

Fabricio Andrade is still just twenty-five years old and in the first half of his career. That’s impressive, considering the names he’s already fought. Speaking to the South China Morning Post, the number one contender at bantamweight spoke about his ambitions to become a bigger name in combat sports:

"I think I'll still do a lot. Of course, I'm getting more people to recognize me now. And it feels really good. But I have bigger plans, I want to do bigger things. So I think this is going to be the start."

Watch the full interview here:

A big win over Lineker, whether it be by a vicious finish or a five-round war, would put him on the map with many more MMA fans. Past that, there’s big fights with contenders like Stephen Loman and whoever else the division can throw at him in the years ahead.

Fabricio Andrade has also competed in Muay Thai in the past, opening the door for him to cross over to other sports within the ONE Championship domain. Like an Adriano Moraes or Bibiano Fernandes, Fabricio Andrade could be poised to become the next Brazilian mainstay in world title fights for ONE Championship for a long time.

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Fabricio Andrade thrilled to compete in historic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium for the first time

The opponent may be the same as his last fight, but the scenery will be totally different.

Fabricio Andrade and John Lineker last fought in a cage in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia last October. In two weeks, they’ll fight in a ring in Bangkok, Thailand. Andrade, for one, is excited for the change.

Here’s what he had to say about the chance to fighting in Lumpinee Boxing Stadium:

“Yeah, it's my first time fighting there. My first fight in Bangkok was in Impact Arena. But yeah, it's exciting. Fighting in the ring as well. I think that's more exciting though. It wasn't a cage in Lumpinee, it's a bit different, but in a ring, it's cool, it's going to be exciting.”

The new location is not just cosmetic, but it could also have an impact on the fight. John Lineker, for one, will not have the support of a cage wall to try to work the fight to the mat like he did in their first meeting.

In addition, Andrade lives and trains in Thailand, meaning the trip to compete at ONE Fight Night 7 is just a few hours in the same country for him, whereas Lineker is flying across the ocean from Brazil.

ONE Fight Night 7 goes down on February 24th and streams live on Amazon Prime for for North American subscribers.