“I won't be intimidated by his hands” - Bibiano Fernandes prepared to deal with John Lineker’s ‘Hands of Stone’

Bibiano Fernandes knows that John Lineker’s fists would do some damage when they meet in the circle at ONE: Bad Blood on Friday, February 11.

The longtime division king is more than ready to taste his compatriot’s venom in 4oz gloves. Ahead of their clash at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, the 41-year-old revealed to ONE that he is ready to stand and bang with ‘Hands of Stone’.

Bibiano Fernandes said:

“I’m ready to strike with anyone. I trained a lot for this fight, brought some tough sparring partners to my camp to sharpen my striking, and I'm ready for wherever the fight unfolds. I'm definitely going to have to do some striking with him because that's his style. I won't be intimidated by his hands, though. Let's go to war.”

Fear or intimidation simply does not exist in his dictionary. If it did, the Amazonas native perhaps would not have enjoyed a stellar career that includes a haul of Brazilian jiu-jitsu world championship medals and MMA world titles.

He is ever-ready to take on fighters from different styles or backgrounds, and his time at ONE has presented him with exactly that. Be it Kevin Belingon and Martin Nguyen’s striking, Reece McLaren and Toni Tauru’s grappling, or well-rounded competitors like Dae Hwan Kim.

Bibiano Fernandes has earned some memorable wins over these names, and he views the top-ranked bantamweight as a similar assignment.

“I think it's just another fight in my story and in my martial arts career. John Lineker is a good fighter, I liked it when they matched this fight with him, but it's just another fight in my career.”

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Bibiano Fernandes warns that he will exploit John Lineker’s weaknesses

John Lineker has gone a perfect 3-0 since he arrived at ONE in 2019. ‘Hands of Stone’ earned one win by decision and knocked out two opponents with his truck-like fists during his appearances.

Bibiano Fernandes recognizes Lineker’s strengths based on those recent performances but refuses to reveal his weaknesses.

Instead, Fernandes told ONE he will expose the 31-year-old Parana native’s gaping holes, and that should be enough to earn him a record-breaking win.

“He has a good low kick, a good guillotine, has a very good hand, and hits hard. The weaknesses I won't reveal because I will exploit them in the fight.”