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Fabricio Andrade believes that his upcoming opponent John Lineker might be in the final chapter of his career.
The former bantamweight world champion made his professional debut in 2008 and has had 45 professional bouts in his career, with most of them being at the very highest level of the sport.
Fabricio Andrade, on the other hand, is still in the early days of his career. With just 11fights under his belt, Andrade has gone straight to the top of the bantamweight division after going unbeaten inside the circle.
In their first fight at ONE on Prime Video 3, both sides of this coin came into play. The youth and speed of Andrade caused Lineker a lot of problems, but the former world champion was able to rely on his years of experience to stay in the fight and change his gameplan.
With the fight ending in a no contest and their rematch being booked for ONE Fight Night 7 on Prime Video on February 24, Fabricio Andrade believes that the years and amount of fights that Lineker has been a part of has taken its toll on him.
In an interview with SCMP MMA, he said:
“As a fan - because I've been following him for a long time - I think, yes, he had too many fights. And he's been fighting from a young age. And that definitely makes a difference. Because this is not an easy sport.”
Watch the full interview below:
Fabricio Andrade views his first fight with John Lineker as a loss, rather than a no contest
The only blemish on Fabricio Andrade’s run in ONE Championship is his no contest against John Lineker. Whilst the ending of their fight at ONE on Prime Video 3 left the fight with no victor or loser, that’s not how ‘Wonder Boy’ views their first meeting.
After dominating the majority of the contest, Andrade seemed moments away from winning the fight and becoming the ONE bantamweight world champion. Unfortunately, a knee landed low to the groin of Lineker, who was unable to continue.
After delivering such a great performance, Fabricio Andrade looks back on the fight as a loss due to him not being crowned the bantamweight champ despite his best efforts.
In the same interview, ‘Wonder Boy’ said:
“Yeah, I was really frustrated. Of course, I didn't know what to think at the moment because, for me, it was a loss. I took that fight as a loss because I didn't win the belt.”
At ONE Fight Night 7 on Prime Video, Andrade will get the chance to put this right when he faces Lineker in an immediate rematch for the vacant title.
The entire event on February 24, live from the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium, is free to watch for North American viewers with an active Prime subscription.
