Fabricio “Wonder Boy” Andrade understands that Jeremy “The Juggernaut” Pacatiw is determined to make a name for himself at his expense when they cross paths. The pair meet at ONE: FULL CIRCLE on 25 February at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
Andrade is driven to show that he’s no pushover as the #4-ranked bantamweight contender seeks to cement himself as a legitimate title contender and climb even higher in the official bantamweight rankings.
“I’m just 24 years old and I was already ranked no. 4 on just my second fight in ONE. I think I am making a statement to the world with how I fight and I feel more and more confident every time I step inside the ONE Circle,” Andrade said.
Andrade is indeed one of the brightest young stars in ONE Championship today.
He has been undefeated since signing with the promotion and is currently on a five-fight winning streak. His latest performance was a scintillating first round technical knockout win over “The Underdog” Li Kai Wen at ONE: WINTER WARRIORS II back in December.
But despite the form that he currently flaunts, the Brazilian fighter out of Marrok Force MMA in Bangkok knows that he can’t be complacent. As such, he is hungrier than ever, and dreams of making it to the top.
Andrade is certainly not taking Pacatiw lightly, and he’s tirelessly at work in training camp leading up to this match.
“I’m super excited for this fight and I can say that I have a perfect camp that I trained in. I can’t wait to step back inside there,” he said, fully aware of the pedigree that his Team Lakay foe possesses.
“He’s a good fighter and he is coming from a good win in his first fight here at ONE Championship.”
Andrade was indeed watching when Pacatiw made his promotional debut at ONE: BATTLEGROUND last July, where the Filipino put in a fantastic performance against Chen “The Ghost” Rui to dominate in all three rounds and take the unanimous decision win.
In that fight, Pacatiw showcased the striking arsenal Team Lakay has become known for, including a bit of the improved grappling they’ve flaunted in recent years, as well.
While “Wonderboy” was certainly impressed, he remains confident that his freestyle approach is at par, or even better, than that of Pacatiw’s.
“I am not worried about his game because I, too, bring many weapons for my fights,” he stated.
“My striking is different and the way I fight gives me confidence that I can break through any style of my opponents. My takedown defense has also given my opponents headaches in each of my fights, even those who are considered as world class grapplers like Shoko Sato. It’s he who should be worried.”
Like his mentality in every fight, though, Andrade just wants to have fun and said, “They should expect a happy fighter coming on the best phase of his life, one who is ready to finish every single opponent that stands in front of him and also a happy guy who will walk out with his own song this time and bring up the show that the fans like to watch.”
And if a win over Pacatiw leads to a future world title opportunity? Andrade will be ready. The Brazilian knows his time will come soon enough, and eventually, he’ll get his opportunity to fight for the ONE Bantamweight World Championship.
“I am very happy to be fighting in ONE Championship and they are keeping me busy. That’s all I’ve asked for. So whoever they send to me next after this fight, I will be ready and they know that. If they want me to fight for the title, I will be ready and if they want me to take on the other fighters in the division before I fight for the title, I will be ready for that, too,” he said.
“I don’t have to rush. I will be the champion and no one can stop that.”
Fight Game Asia 