“I want to conquer that” - Fabricio Andrade recalls always having an insatiable hunger to succeed even in his youth

Fabricio Andrade always had that passion to become the best fighter possible.

The reigning ONE bantamweight MMA world champion grew up in the poverty-stricken communities of Fortaleza in Brazil, and he knew he had to fight if he wanted to escape the vicious socioeconomic cycle.

In an interview snippet he shared on Instagram, Andrade recalled how he always had the desire and hunger to beat his opponents when rising through the youth ranks.

Fabricio Andrade said:

"I started training when I was 13 years old in Fortaleza, and I started training in Muay Thai. That Muay Thai was kind of where no elbows were allowed, so it was kind of kickboxing. But it was the most popular in my city at that time."

He added:

"I'm quite a focused guy. If I have a goal in front of me, I am very focused; I want to conquer that. That makes me a little impatient and stressed, too, because I end up demanding too much from myself."

That insatiable drive fueled Andrade's ascent to the global stage, and he never looked back.

'Wonder Boy', as he became eventually known, holds an unbeaten 7-0 (1 no-contest) MMA record in ONE Championship and established himself as one of the most exciting fighters on the planet.

Using his Muay Thai base, Andrade racked up five knockout wins in ONE Championship.

Andrade is coming off a sublime first-round knockout finish of old foe Kwon Won Il to retain his ONE bantamweight MMA world title at ONE 170 in Bangkok.

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Fabricio Andrade recalls how martial arts gave him a purpose when he was growing up

Fabricio Andrade always believed he had to take every opportunity to get what he wanted.

Taking to Instagram, Andrade recalled how he found solace in martial arts when growing up in Fortaleza.

Andrade wrote that martial arts gave him a routine that eventually became his foundation in his reign as the ONE bantamweight MMA world champion.

He posted:

"When I was 13, I started doing Muay Thai. I had no expectations of anything. I was just a kid who wanted to be good at something. I was always very focused and very demanding of myself. I was also always very explosive, and in fighting, I was able to use all this 'explosion.'"