“Fighters don’t respect his power” - Fabricio Andrade raves at old foe John Lineker’s instant success in Muay Thai transition 

ONE bantamweight MMA world champion Fabricio Andrade is not the least bit surprised that his old rival John Lineker is thriving in Muay Thai.

'Hands of Stone' sent shockwaves across the combat sports world when he made the transition to 'The Art of Eight Limbs' and became an instant threat to the 145-pound Muay Thai ranks.

Lineker wreaked havoc immediately, using his lethal fists to notch back-to-back scary knockout victories over Asa Ten Pow and Alexey Balyko.

'Wonder Boy', who battled his fellow Brazilian on two occasions, understands that the 34-year-old has the perfect skills to thrive in an all-striking ruleset. However, it seems that his opponents in Muay Thai underestimated his freakish power, considering he competed in MMA for most of his career.

Fabricio Andrade had this to say about the former bantamweight MMA world champion in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA:

"I think he’s doing very well in Muay Thai, especially because fighters don’t respect his power just because he isn’t a Muay Thai fighter, you know? He’s coming from MMA."

Lineker will look to continue his trail of destruction in 'The Art of Eight Limbs' at ONE Fight Night 27: Tang vs. Abdullaev on Prime Video on Jan. 10 at Bangkok's Lumpinee Stadium.

'Hands of Stone' wants to prove he's ready for a step-up in competition against one of the division's mainstays, 'Left Meteorite' Kulabdam Sor Jor Piek Uthai.

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Fabricio Andrade confident he'll beat Kwon Won Il for the second time

After his title-winning performance against Lineker, Andrade will defend his bantamweight MMA world title for the first time against a familiar foe at ONE 170.

On Jan. 24, 'Wonder Boy' will run it back with Kwon Won Il in the first of three world title fights in the stacked card at Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.

In an interview with The Bangkok Post, Fabricio Andrade said he already took out 'Pretty Boy' once and is confident he can pull it off again:

"I know how to beat him. This time it's not going to be different, but I want it to go a little longer."

ONE 170 will air live in US primetime free of charge for those with a Prime Video subscription in North America.