Fabricio Andrade had a fast rise toward the top of the ONE Championship bantamweight division. It culminated with a sterling performance against John Lineker to capture the ONE Bantamweight World Champion. Now, the Brazilian is setting his sights on two-sport glory at ONE Fight Night 15 on October 6th.
Fabricio Andrade Seeks Two-Sport Gold
“Wonder Boy” will not be the only man looking for two-sport gold. After defeating Nong-O Hama for the ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title, Jonathan Haggerty also wants to hold two belts at once. The two will meet for the vacant ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Championship, but donning the larger gloves won’t be unfamiliar territory for the Brazilian.
“Before dedicating myself completely to MMA, I had a kickboxing contract. I already had this interest. It ended up not happening because I was pursuing my MMA career. But now, the opportunity has come. Becoming a Kickboxing Champion is something that hasn’t happened in my career yet,” Andrade told ONE.
There have been a few to hold kickboxing and Muay Thai gold simultaneously. There have also been a few to become two-weight World Champions in MMA. However, Andrade is going for a new mark that has not been touched to date. That goal is motivating the 25-year-old to rewrite the history books.
“I have the chance to do something that nobody has done yet – to be the first athlete to be World Champion in MMA and kickboxing. And that’s my biggest motivation for this fight. By becoming World Champion in two sports, I’ll be making history. Of course, the Muay Thai belt will also be available, but I don’t have plans for that yet. I’m taking it one step at a time,” Andrade explained.
But defeating Haggerty is a tall order for Andrade. His destruction of Nong-O set the Muay Thai world on fire and showed he has extraordinary power at bantamweight. Andrade is aware of his exceptional skills but believes the exclusion of elbows will help level the playing field with the vacant belt up for grabs.
“Haggerty is a great opponent. He’s fought against some of the biggest names in Muay Thai. He was once champion of the flyweight division and now he is the ONE’s Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion, so I’m sure it will be a great fight. He is a very technical athlete. He plays well on his opponent’s mistakes. He reads the fight well. His strong points are the elbows, but in this fight, he won’t be able to use them because it’s not allowed in the kickboxing rules,” the Brazilian said.
“Wonder Boy” also questions Haggerty’s ability to handle his power. In his return to kickboxing, Andrade plans to test that theory with an aggressive game plan to put the Brit under fire. If he can succeed, Andrade’s claim for pound-for-pound recognition will grow by magnitudes.
“I think I have a complete advantage over him in kickboxing because I’m more used to the rules, even if I haven’t fought in those rules for a while. I never stopped training my striking. I believe I have more power than him in the strikes, and I’ll be more aggressive in the fight. In the course of the fight, that will give me an advantage, and I’ll be able to knock him out,” Andrade said.
ONE Fight Night 15 airs live on Prime Video on Friday, October 6th. The action begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The event is free for all Amazon Prime members based in the U.S. and Canada.
