"I got a lot of friends in Japan" - Fabricio Andrade reveals he has trained with Takeru and Team Vasileus

ONE Championship bantamweight MMA king Fabricio Andrade has connections with some of Japan's finest strikers that most fans probably don't know about.

Before he defends his 26 pounds of gold against No.4-ranked Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu at ONE Fight Night 38, South China Morning Post (SCMP) caught up with the Brazilian to get some thoughts on his upcoming fight and other career happenings.

'Wonder Boy' was also asked about his thoughts on Japanese talents such as Takeru Segawa, Masaaki Noiri, and Yuki Yoza. Surprisingly, the 28-year-old revealed he had spent some time with the trio years back during a visit to their base, Team Vasileus, in Tokyo.

"Yes, for sure. For sure, man. I got a lot of friends in Japan, you know, and a lot of people who like me in there. I think it would be great to fight there," Fabricio Andrade shared.

"I've been there. I trained with Takeru and with all those guys in [Team] Vasileus. When it was still the little room, you know, now they moved, they have the bigger room, but when I went there, it was so little, you know."

Check out his interview with SCMP below:

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Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu grateful for chance to tango alongside Fabricio Andrade for ONE world title

The main event spotlight is nothing new for Fabricio Andrade, whose three of his last promotional appearances have served as the marquee attraction.

But, this will mark the first time Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu features in a headline attraction of the world's largest martial arts organization's spectacle.

The 36-year-old had this to say to ONE Championship on the significance of this moment.

"I'm very pleased that [ONE] is putting together such a high-level matchup. I believe they value my skills and trust that I can deliver a strong performance," the Team Tungaa and Shandas MMA fighter shared.

"This is basically the pinnacle of martial arts. It's a real test to see whether my skills are truly at a high level."

Active Amazon Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada can catch the entire ONE Fight Night 38 card, live in U.S. primetime, for free this Friday, December 5.