Fabricio Andrade Unfazed By Jeremy Pacatiw: ‘I’m A Different Species’
Fabricio Andrade is one of the fastest rising stars on the global stage, and his confidence has grown in line with his ascent up the rankings.
The Brazilian has been in perfect form since making his promotional debut, and he’ll look to continue his impressive run when he takes on Jeremy “The Juggernaut” Pacatiw at ONE: FULL CIRCLE, which airs live from the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Friday, 25 February.
Andrade has gone 3-0 against high-level opposition in the Circle, with two impressive finishes to his name, and that has made him the #4-ranked bantamweight mixed martial arts contender.
It’s also a big reason why his confidence is at an all-time high ahead of his main card opener against the Filipino dynamo.
“Absolutely nothing [will trouble me in this matchup]. I don’t see anything in his game that could get me into trouble in the fight,” Andrade says.
“Of course, he’s training hard, and he could surprise me, but I believe I’ll be ready for anything he can bring to this fight.”
The 24-year-old Brazilian has every right to feel so self-assured. In his last outing in December 2021, he demolished “The Underdog” Li Kai Wen inside a single round, ending his opponent’s four-bout winning streak in the process.
Many thought the Chinese star would be a tough challenge for Andrade, but he proved them wrong – and he wasn’t surprised by the result.
“I didn’t feel threatened at any point in the fight. The fight developed exactly as I expected and I got the victory by knockout,” he says.
“My striking is on another level, and I feel more confident with every fight. I’m a different species, and all these guys know it. I feel the fear in their eyes when they’re in front of me.”
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There’s reason to think that Andrade will be tested against Pacatiw, though.
“The Juggernaut” is a talented striker equipped with Team Lakay’s world-famous brand of wushu, and he’s looking to build momentum off the back of his debut win over “The Ghost” Chen Rui last July.
However, the Brazilian still doesn’t think he’ll be presented with any problems inside the Circle.
“No matter what his gym does well, he doesn’t want to stand up with me because I’m going to put him to sleep fast,” Andrade says.
“He’ll try to put me down. Many have already made the same mistake and paid dearly for it. As I said, I am a different species. These guys don’t want to fight me in a striking fight. I love stand-up fighting. I love hitting and getting a beating, and I can do it all day without getting tired.”
Andrade is determined to register another quick finish over Pacatiw and continue his rise to the top.
And though there may be a wealth of talent in front of him in the divisional rankings, “Wonder Boy” isn’t paying much attention to those other contenders.
The only thing he is focused on is taking out whoever stands in his way.
“I’m going to knock [Pacatiw] out in the first round because he won’t be able to handle all the weapons I’m going to bring to this fight,” Andrade says.
“[The rankings] don’t really matter to me. I’m in the best phase of my career, and my evolution is constant. I will fight any of them at any time, and I know I will win. So they should be worried, not me.”
Read more: How To Watch ONE: FULL CIRCLE On 25 February
