“I sold everything” - Fabricio Andrade recalls uprooting his life in Brazil and moving halfway across the globe

Fabricio Andrade always knew he had to make the tough decisions to succeed.

In 2017, Andrade made the bold decision to uproot his entire personal life from Brazil and fly to China with barely any money in his back pocket.

Andrade banked everything on a promise before eventually rising to the top of the MMA world when he conquered ONE Championship's bantamweight MMA division.

Taking to Instagram, Fabricio Andrade posted:

"From Brazil to China. In 2017, I sold everything I had and decided to leave Brazil with just 20 dollars in my pocket! At the time, I was 18 and needed to pay my bills, but in Brazil, it was very difficult to make a good living fighting. Through my teacher Hermes França, I got an offer to go to China, and that's when things started to change."

Andrade, who opened a gym in Brazil at that time, sold his belongings and pushed his luck competing in China's Muay Thai and kickboxing scene.

That decision, however, ultimately paid off for the Brazilian superstar. Andrade built a reputation as one of the best pure strikers before transitioning into MMA.

In 2020, Andrade arrived at ONE Championship and never looked back.

Andrade initially showed off his versatility when he submitted Mark Abelardo in his promotional debut, then dominated Shoko Sato in his sophomore appearance.

After two straight wins, Andrade finally showed his unbridled striking power when he racked up five straight knockout wins in his MMA run.

Andrade captured the vacant ONE bantamweight MMA world title when he stopped John Lineker at ONE Fight Night 7.

'Wonder Boy' retained his throne when he knocked out Kwon Won Il in 42 seconds at ONE 170 in January this year.

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Fabricio Andrade recalls how his internal rage drives his desire to become the best fighter possible

Fabricio Andrade was never one to sugarcoat his emotions, and he readily admitted that he's used his inner anger to fuel his intense drive.

In an interview with V.RIMK, the ONE bantamweight MMA world champion said his anger gave him the energy to push himself through his limits in the gym and in the cage. He said:

"I'd say I’m an angry guy. I am an angry person, but that turns out to be a quality for me, too. I think that’s what gave me the energy I needed in the beginning. I wanted to improve; it was like when I had a belief that someone was better than me, it already made me angry."