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Undisputed ONE bantamweight MMA world champion Fabricio Andrade had a similar path to glory to a fellow Brazilian superstar.
Before taking mixed martial arts by storm, ‘Wonder Boy’ started his journey through kickboxing, similar to two-time UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira.
Andrade later became enamored with Muay Thai after relocating to Thailand. The rest, as we now know, is history.
The 28-year-old became one of the biggest stars in the home of martial arts where he now reigns as the king of the 145-pound MMA division.
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According to Andrade, his and Pereira's success offers a blueprint for pure strikers to test themselves in MMA.
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The Tiger Muay Thai and Evolve MMA affiliate shared in a South China Morning Post (SCMP) interview:
"That's true. I think that he made it possible, so more people should try. I see in the gym a lot of guys, even on the ONE Friday Fights. We got a lot of good fights happening in bantamweight, you know, and also a lot of guys in Tiger now."
Andrade’s striking excellence has carried over in MMA, where he stands as one of the most feared finishers in the game.
‘Wonder Boy’ will return this Friday, Dec. 5, where he defends his crown against Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu in the curtain closer of ONE Fight Night 38.
Watch the full interview:
Fabricio Andrade reveals why he loves throwing body shots
Fabricio Andrade has mastered the art of delivering body shot knockouts.
While the Brazilian KO machine loves a good old headshot, he explained the satisfaction that a well-placed hit to the body brings.
'Wonder Boy' told SCMP:
“I always hit your head, but I'm always thinking about your body. Because I know, especially after you use a lot of strength, you know, you're going to be a little bit tired and if you get hits to the body, this is going to slowly be killing you. And eventually you're going to get knocked out.”
Andrade defends his title at ONE Fight Night 38 from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, streaming live in U.S. primetime on Prime Video for North American fans.
