Fabricio Andrade says he learned that defense was just as important as offense: “I improved a lot when I understood this”

ONE bantamweight MMA world champion ‘Wonder Boy’ Fabricio Andrade was once a reckless young fighter who knew nothing but to throw every strike with ill intent. But he admits that approach may not have been the best to become a world-class martial artist.

Once Andrade began to focus on being a well-rounded technician, focusing on defense as much as he focused on offense, that’s when everything finally came together for him.

Andrade told South China Morning Post:

“You're going to learn to be tough, but you are not learning technique. You are not improving your game. And I think when I understood this, this also made me improve as a fighter. I improved a lot when I understood this, you know, that what I was doing was not smart. And then I started to work on my footwork, you know, and I said, ‘Oh, maybe I should work on my footwork and move more, you know.’ And then I started to move, you know. Before I was just staying in front of each other and go.”

Check out the interview below:

That shift in mindset and his approach to hard sparring really paid off for ‘Wonder Boy’, and now the Brazilian athlete is ready to showcase his evolution as a fighter when he steps back into the ONE Championship ring this weekend.

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Fabricio Andrade to put bantamweight gold on the line against Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu

Fabricio ‘Wonder Boy’ Andrade will make the next defense of his ONE bantamweight MMA world championship against No.4-ranked divisional contender and Physical: Asia star ‘The Tormentor’ Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu.

The fight takes place this weekend at ONE Fight Night 38: Andrade vs. Baatarkhuu on Prime Video. It will go down live in U.S. primetime on Friday, Dec. 5 at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. North American fans can watch the event free of charge with Amazon Prime Video.

Check back with Sportskeeda MMA for more news on Fabricio Andrade.