“I'm on a level above him” - Fabricio Andrade out to prove that he is better than John Lineker

Fabricio Andrade has ramped up the smack talk less than two weeks before his world title challenge against John Lineker.

The brash Brazilian will try to wrest the ONE bantamweight world title from compatriot Lineker at ONE on Prime Video 3. The event is scheduled for October 21 at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

In an interview with Andrew Whitelaw for Asian MMA, Andrade said he feels that he’s already surpassed Lineker.

The No.2-ranked bantamweight contender added that he watched Lineker when he was growing up and that he has a lot of respect for the bantamweight king. Nevertheless, a fight is a fight and Andrade is out hunting for gold:

“I think in ONE Championship, [this is] the biggest fight between two guys from the same country. Because, as I said, he has a big name, especially in Brazil. Everybody knows him. I watched the guy since I was 14 years old, you know. In 2012, he was already in the UFC, so I've known him for a long, long time. And I know that our people know him, and I respect him a lot.”

He added:

“But he's kind of like, not in his prime anymore. I would say he's still in his prime because he's still young. But I don't believe we are on the same level. I believe I'm on a level above him and all of those guys, but the style as well makes these fights very entertaining. Because everybody knows, somebody's going to get knocked out.”

Andrade and Lineker both have perfect records in ONE Championship.

Lineker is 4-0 in the organization and is on a run of three straight knockouts. That form culminated in his finish of Brazilian legend Bibiano Fernandes to take the ONE bantamweight world title at ONE: Lights Out this past March.

Fabricio Andrade, meanwhile, is 5-0 in ONE Championship and is on an incredible streak of three straight first-round knockouts. His most recent fight saw him record a body-shot KO of South Korean star Kwon Won Il at ONE 158 this past June.

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Fabricio Andrade sees an all-striking war with Lineker

Fabricio Andrade and Lineker are two of the premier knockout artists in ONE Championship’s 145-pound division. With that, the hungry challenger expects a brawl against the ONE bantamweight world champion.

Bringing flair and creativity to his strikes, Andrade took to Instagram to issue a warning toward Lineker.

Fabricio Andrade posted:

“I will bring a level of striking that you’ve never seen in your life, let’s see if you can keep your word. #NOtakedowns.”

‘Wonder Boy’s’ post is a direct reply to Lineker’s own Instagram post, wherein he dared Andrade to a standup war.

“Fabricio! I dare you to stand toe to toe with me and strike until one of us goes down! You do not have the courage!"