‘I Became The Man I Wanted To Be’ – Fabricio Andrade Reflects On How His Life Changed After Becoming World Champion
For Fabricio “Wonder Boy” Andrade, winning the ONE Bantamweight MMA World Title didn’t just transform his status as a martial artist, it also altered the very trajectory of his entire life.
Now nearly three years into his World Title reign, the 28-year-old Brazilian thunder keg says he’s no longer driven by the desperation that once pushed him through poverty, struggle, and years of sacrifice. Instead, becoming a World Champion allowed him to mature, reflect, and redefine what truly matters.
As he prepares to defend his gold against Mongolian juggernaut and #4-ranked contender “The Tormentor” Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu at ONE Fight Night 38: Andrade vs. Baatarkhuu on Prime Video, Andrade looked back on his journey to reach this point in his career.
This Friday, December 5, live in U.S. primetime, “Wonder Boy” will look to prove once again that he’s the best bantamweight MMA fighter in the world today.
Success Allowed Andrade To Mature And Rebuild His Mindset
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. It wasn’t pride or celebration that hit him first, but a disbelief that the road had finally led somewhere better.
He said:
“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.”
Looking back, Andrade says becoming a World Champion 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, he says, has been one of the biggest transformations since capturing the belt.
What used to be a chip on his shoulder has softened into something steadier — a version of himself he’s proud to keep building.
He said:
“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.
“I don’t need to treat anybody bad to prove that I’m better than anyone. Now I’m more of a good guy.”
Money, Stability, Marriage — How His Life Changed Outside The Circle
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, he says, created the mindset that eventually propelled him to the World Title.
But once that moment came, his life changed quickly. The biggest shift was the ability to finally take care of the people he loves, including buying his mother a new home.
He said:
“It was a dream, but I was able to make it happen for my family.
“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 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.
“Wonder Boy” explained:
“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.
“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.”
How Andrade Hopes His Journey Will Inspire The Next Generation
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.
The reigning ONE bantamweight MMA king said:
“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.”
Coming from the hard streets of Fortaleza in Brazil, Andrade says he 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.
He added:
“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.
“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.”
