“I felt something was wrong” - Fabricio Andrade says he prioritized his recovery after losing to Jonathan Haggerty
Fabricio Andrade plans to take things a little bit slowly from now on.
The reigning ONE bantamweight MMA world champion always lived life at the fastest speed possible, but a disappointing loss in his last outing made him realize that slowing down a bit is sometimes better.
In an interview with Sportskeeda MMA, Andrade said losing to two-sport world champion Jonathan Haggerty taught him to give rest as much priority as training.
"After the fight with Haggerty, I needed to stop and have a look at it again because I was feeling a lot of pain before the fight. And then after the fight, I felt like something was wrong with my body."
Andrade fell short in his bid for two-sport supremacy when he lost via knockout in his matchup against the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion for the vacant bantamweight kickboxing throne.
Despite suffering multiple injuries, Fabricio Andrade still took the ONE Fight Night 16 matchup and it was a decision that cost him his perfect ONE Championship record.
He's since gone back to Brazil during the holidays to recuperate and recover from the wear and tear he sustained in the past few years.
Fabricio Andrade admits the risks of fighting through injury
Things won't be the same ever again for Fabricio Andrade.
While he easily fought through pain and injuries earlier in his career, 'Wonder Boy' admits he now has to be smarter with his recovery.
In the same interview with Sportskeeda MMA, Andrade said he can't charge into fights haphazardly while dealing with a slew of injuries:
"For me, given a choice, I'd want to fight tomorrow if possible. But I have to understand that I need to be healthy, I need to be strong. Because I'm in a position where I cannot make mistakes anymore."
Andrade was riding a perfect 6-0 wave when he ran into Haggerty in their champion-versus-champion duel at ONE Fight Night 16.
The loss marked the first time Andrade didn't have his hand raised in ONE Championship and it also made him realize how important it was to take care of his body.