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Top ONE Championship bantamweight contender Fabricio Andrade is keeping a close eye on the highly-anticipated matchup between former champ Bibiano Fernandes and Stephen Loman.
No. 3 ranked Fernandes is making his first appearance since losing his belt to John Lineker in March, while No. 5 ranked Loman is 2-0 within the promotion.
'Wonder Boy' recently joined The MMA Superfan to chat about Loman's status with a victory over Fernandes at ONE on Prime Video 4.
"He was meant to fight John Lineker before and he’s number 3 [after his debut]. If he beats Bibiano, it would definitely put him there in the No.1 spot to fight for the title next."
Defeating someone with the pedigree of Fernandes will vault Loman into top-contender status within the bantamweight division. 'The Sniper' enters with wins over Yusup Saadulaev and Shoko Sato.
Fabricio Andrade vs. John Lineker II in February 2023
A rematch was in order following the result of the ONE on Prime Video 3 main event, in which Andrade unintentionally landed a devastating low blow on Lineker.
Luckily, the promotion acted swiftly and booked a rematch for the first quarter of 2023. For now, the title remains vacant following Lineker's weight miss.
After realizing much success in the first matchup, Andrade is feeling confident heading into the rematch—especially in the striking department. He recently spoke with SCMP MMA about the first fight:
“I expected him to shoot. But the way he was speaking in interviews that he was going to stand with me. He kind of made me believe a little bit. But he tried to wrestle really early. I was a bit disappointed with him on that part. Because I wanted to strike with him. I would have knocked him out in the first round if he stood up with me.”
Stars may align for the winner of the Fernandes/Loman bout to face off against the victor of the highly-anticipated bantamweight title fight.
Make sure to watch the epic rematch between top bantamweight contenders Fabricio Andrade and John Lineker at ONE on Prime Video 7 on February 10 of next year, live from the Jakarta Convention Center in Indonesia.
Catch Fabricio Andrade's full interview with SCMP MMA below:
