ONE Bantamweight MMA World Champion Fabricio Andrade is ready to break new ground in U.S. primetime on Friday, October 6.
“Wonder Boy” will face Jonathan Haggerty for the vacant ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Title at ONE Fight Night 15 on Prime Video, and he could become the first mixed martial artist in ONE to cross over and win gold in another sport.
However, it’s not a new project for the Brazilian – just a delayed one.
Andrade amassed an impressive professional striking record of 40-3 before focusing on MMA full-time. So, when this World Champion vs. World Champion clash was offered to him under kickboxing rules, he was ready to step up to the plate.
Andrade said of his upcoming battle in Bangkok, Thailand:
“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.”
“Wonder Boy” has been a revelation since joining ONE, going undefeated in seven MMA outings en route to winning the bantamweight belt back in February.
Moreover, Andrade’s last four wins have all come via strikes – proving his punishing capabilities on the feet – and his confidence is sky-high. Armed with that momentum and a desire to etch his name in the record books, the 25-year-old jumped at the opportunity to battle Haggerty.
The surging Tiger Muay Thai representative also won’t rule out three-sport domination down the line, but he knows he must stay focused on the task at hand.
Andrade explained:
“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.
“My focus now is on the kickboxing belt, but it is undoubtedly a possibility in the future.”
Andrade Respects Haggerty But Predicts Knockout Victory
Fabricio Andrade is not taking Jonathan Haggerty lightly. He knows the former ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion and current ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion is one of the top pound-for-pound strikers on the planet.
But everybody has their weaknesses, and Andrade sees them in the Englishman, too. Now, it’s his job to expose them under the bright lights of Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.
Analyzing his upcoming foe, “Wonder Boy” said:
“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.
“And his weakness is that he can’t absorb blows well. So, I intend to exploit that to gain an advantage in the fight.”
As Andrade mentioned, this matchup is taking place outside of Haggerty’s usual Muay Thai comfort zone.
And while some might think “Wonder Boy” is making the bigger switch from the all-around sport of MMA, he actually believes his past experience will pay bigger dividends.
The Brazilian competed in dozens of kickboxing bouts up until 2019, and he’s kept up his stand-up focus ever since. Moreover, he thinks he has the edge in other physical and tactical attributes that will help him secure a stoppage of “The General” in Bangkok.
Andrade added:
“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.”
(@fabricioandrade1)
