Winning the ONE Bantamweight MMA World Title didn’t just transform Fabricio Andrade’s status as a martial artist — it altered the very trajectory of his entire life.

Nearly three years into his championship reign, the 28-year-old Brazilian thunder keg says he’s no longer driven by the desperation that once pushed him through years of sacrifice. Instead, becoming a ONE World Champion allowed him to mature, reflect, and redefine what truly matters as he prepares to defend his gold against Mongolian juggernaut Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu at ONE Fight Night 38: Andrade vs. Baatarkhuu on Prime Video on Friday, December 5, broadcasting live in U.S. primetime from Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium.

The Fortaleza native has been honest about how success shaped him, not only as an athlete but as a person who embraces responsibility, stability, and a deeper purpose than the one that fueled him when he first left home. Andrade says winning the belt brought emotions he never expected — not pride or celebration, but a disbelief that the road had finally led somewhere better.

“Sometimes it’s even hard to believe that everything came out right. It gets me a little bit emotional because it was very hard. Never give up on your dreams and keep working hard because it’s going to pay off,” Andrade said.

Looking back, winning the belt didn’t make him feel like he had arrived at his destiny. Instead, it forced him to confront parts of himself that he wanted to change. The pressures of being the hunted fighter — the man everyone wants to beat — revealed how important it was to stay grounded. For the first time in his career, Andrade began focusing on stability rather than sheer ambition, and that internal shift has been one of the biggest transformations since capturing the belt.

“One of the things that had really changed in my mind was a bit of the ego. When I finally became champion and started to be more stable, I started to understand that what was in my head wasn’t the things that I really should do,” Andrade said. “I don’t need to treat anybody bad to prove that I’m better than anyone. Now I’m more of a good guy.”

Before reaching the top of the bantamweight MMA mountain, Andrade spent years fighting for survival, from struggling in China without money and without knowing English to promising himself he would never return home worse than he left. Those experiences created the mindset that eventually propelled him to the World Title, yet once that moment came, his life changed quickly. The biggest shift was the ability to buy his mother a new home.

“It was a dream, but I was able to make it happen for my family,” Andrade said. “You start to do good things, and you want to keep doing more and more. You get addicted to doing good things.”

Another major change came with marriage. Andrade says finding a life partner who shared his values and his lifestyle made him want to become better, not just as a ONE World Champion but as a man who is present and responsible. He credits his wife for grounding him, supporting him through the repetitive, demanding rhythm of being a world-class fighter, and helping him grow into a steadier, calmer version of himself.

“Now I need to become more mature, you know. I need to think more about the person, to work for both of us. I learn more about living with another person,” Andrade said. “My relationship with my wife is also improving a lot as time goes. And every fight camp is also getting better and better. And now she understands me more, she supports me a lot. And she is really helpful for me. She definitely makes my life easier.”

Even after becoming a World Champion, buying a home for his mother, and building a stable life with his wife, Andrade believes his story is only just beginning. The success didn’t erase the hardships, but it made them more meaningful. When he reflects on everything he has built, the achievement he cherishes most isn’t financial security or fame — it’s becoming someone he’s proud to be.

“What I’m most proud of is that I became the man that I wanted to be. I want to become a man that other people can look at me and want to be like me,” Andrade said.

Coming from the hard streets of Fortaleza in Brazil, Andrade remembers how it feels when nobody believed in him, when opportunities seemed impossible, and when dreams felt out of reach. Today, that memory drives him to use his platform and influence to show others that change is possible through hard work.

“I want my story to inspire them. I know a lot of people, I still have contact with a lot of people from where I grew, and I know how difficult it is when nobody believes in you, when you don’t have support, even from people around you. It’s very difficult,” Andrade said. “So with my history, with what I have done, with what I went through, with all the difficult things that I have overcome, I think now I can use that to inspire other people to chase their dreams.”

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