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While Fabricio Andrade seemed poised to beat John Lineker last fall. However, Danny Kingad wonders if that moment has slipped away from Andrade.
While there was no resolution in the fight due to a no-contest ruling stemming from an accidental groin shot, Andrade appeared to be ahead in the eyes of most onlookers.
ONE Championship flyweight Danny Kingad is among that majority, but he wonders if the tides will change in the rematch, slated for February 24 in Bangkok.
Speaking to media outlet The MMA Superfan, Danny Kingad gave his outlook on Andrade’s dominance in the first fight and whether he believes that will continue in their rematch:
"I don’t really know if Fabricio Andrade will be as dominant as he was in the first fight against John Lineker. But I’m sure he’s coming in as the favorite to win it."
What Kingad may be referring to is John Lineker’s experience in MMA compared to Fabricio Andrade’s. Lineker will be entering his forty-fifth pro-MMA fight after fighting many of the best fighters in the world at bantamweight and flyweight.
Fabricio Andrade, while incredibly talented, is seven years younger and is fighting for just the twelfth time as a pro. John Lineker, while likely behind, was able to find areas of success against Andrade in their first meeting, particularly in his wrestling.
He’s no doubt been working on how he can bolster that kind of offense for their rematch and close the gaps in the areas he fell behind.
Brazil’s Fabricio Andrade likens Bangkok fight with Lineker to a home-field advantage
Despite hailing from Brazil, Fabricio Andrade considers his upcoming world title fight against John Lineker to be a fight at home.
Andrade has rooted himself in Phuket, Thailand, to train at Tiger Muay Thai and MMA for the past several years. Speaking to The MMA Superfan, Andrade expressed his excitement to compete so close to home:
“All my friends will be there. My friends, the people who travel with me, my coach, and the fans. Everybody's going to be there. It's going to be giving me extra motivation to perform well. I can't wait. I just want to be inside the cage and make things clear, and knock him out this time.”
It will be his first fight in Thailand since his debut with ONE Championship in July of 2020. Now six fights deep with the promotion, he’s still yet to lose.
The fight will also take place in a square boxing ring rather than the traditional circled cage- that’ll be another factor to watch in the rematch, especially in how it impacts Lineker’s wrestling attack.
ONE Fight Night 7 takes place on February 24 in the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, headlined by a bantamweight bout for the vacant world title between John Lineker and Fabricio Andrade. The event is live and free for fans in North America with Prime Video.
