Fabricio Andrade eyes legacy-building win at ONE Fight Night 15: “I’ll be making history”

By BJPENN.COM Staff - August 18, 2023

The stakes couldn’t be any higher for ONE Bantamweight MMA World Champion Fabricio Andrade at ONE Fight Night 15 on Prime Video.

Fabricio Andrade

The Brazilian power-hitter squares off against divisional Muay Thai kingpin Jonathan Haggerty for the vacant ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Title on October 6. It will air live on Amazon’s Prime Video stream platform.

Andrade finds himself on the precipice of a rare achievement. Should he emerge victorious, he will become the first mixed martial artist in the promotion’s 12-year existence to cross over and secure gold in another sport.

For “Wonder Boy,” the transition from MMA to kickboxing is more than just a calculated move — it’s a return to his roots.

“Before dedicating myself completely to MMA, I had a kickboxing contract,” he said.

Given his extensive background as a competitive striker with a professional kickboxing and Muay Thai record of 40-3, he readily embraced the challenge without hesitation.

“I already had this interest. It ended up not happening because I was pursuing my MMA career,” he said. “But now, the opportunity has come. Becoming a kickboxing champion is something that hasn’t happened in my career yet.”

Fabricio Andrade open to fighting in Muay Thai

Fabricio Andrade’s fighting spirit remains unwavering.

For Andrade, this bout at ONE Fight Night 15 means more than just winning another belt in the world’s largest martial arts organization. It’s about proving that he can excel across multiple disciplines.

“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,” he said.

“By becoming World Champion in two sports, I’ll be making history.”

While he doesn’t rule out the possibility of fighting under Muay Thai rules in the future, Andrade knows that success demands his full focus on the task at hand.

“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,” he said.

“My focus now is on the kickboxing belt, but it is undoubtedly a possibility in the future.”

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM


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Jonathan Haggerty ONE Championship