“Ready to go” - Fabricio Andrade alludes to return, possible world title defense in first fight back from injury

Fabricio Andrade looks ready to trade limb and leather following a bittersweet 2023. The reigning ONE bantamweight MMA world champion spent some time at his home gym Tiger Muay Thai and went quite cryptic in his recent Instagram post.

Andrade, who's now in Japan to train with multi-time kickboxing world champion Shintaro Matsukura, alluded to his potential return to ONE Championship to defend his bantamweight MMA throne.

"Ready to go 🦾 #onechampionship," wrote Fabricio Andrade in his caption.

The Brazilian superstar was on the best run of his career when he won his first six fights in ONE Championship from 2020 to 2023. Andrade eventually reached the pinnacle of his career when he achieved his boyhood dream of holding a world title.

After a disappointing no contest ruling in their first matchup, 'Wonder Boy' climbed the mountaintop and knocked out fellow Brazilian knockout merchant John Lineker to claim the vacant ONE bantamweight MMA world title at ONE Fight Night 7.

That high, however, didn't last when Andrade faced bantamweight Muay Thai king Jonathan Haggerty in a champion-versus-champion super fight at ONE Fight Night 16.

The pair of world champions battled it out for the vacant ONE bantamweight kickboxing world title in the card's main event, but Haggerty was the one who reached champ-champ status when he stopped Andrade in the second round.

Andrade eventually revealed in a recent interview that he was nursing multiple injuries in the lead-up to his matchup against 'The General' in Bangkok.

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Fabricio Andrade received high praise from MMA legend Jose Aldo

Before Fabricio Andrade returned to Tiger Muay Thai in Thailand earlier this year, he spent most of his time in Brazil.

Andrade traveled back to his home nation for the holidays, where he also got to train with MMA legend Jose Aldo.

The Brazilian icon is often called the greatest UFC featherweight world champion, and he got some reps in with Andrade ahead of his last fight in the American promotion.

Aldo has always been one of the classiest fighters in the sport, and he gave major props to Andrade for the hours of training they had together:

"Thanks for the workouts brother! You are a phenomenon!" Aldo wrote in the comments section of one of Andrade's Instagram posts.