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John Lineker has reflected on the disappointing no contest against Fabricio Andrade at ONE on Prime Video 3.
Lineker has 45 professional MMA fights, but his latest fight week may have been the most brutal yet. ‘Hands of Stone’ lost his ONE bantamweight title on the scales, suffered a gruesome eye injury, and then took a knee to the groin, which broke his cup and led to a no contest.
Due to the disastrous fight week, the former bantamweight champion has received backlash from Andrade and some MMA fans. John Lineker had this to say about everything that transpired:
“This shook me up a lot. I tried to stay strong and focused to get in the fight well, but I wasn't 100 percent. But that's no excuse. It was a tough fight. Fabricio is an excellent fighter, but I was very upset about what happened. I didn't go in 100 percent, but I did what needed to be done in the fight. But, unfortunately, the result was not what I expected.”
Lineker missing weight was the biggest issue, considering the knee to the groin wasn’t his fault.
The bantamweight division is now left without a champion with several possibilities for what’s next. Whether or not ‘Hands of Stone’ features in the next vacant title fight could be determined by the time needed to recover from his injuries.
John Lineker is focusing on the positives as he receives criticism for ONE on Prime Video 3 disaster
The fight between John Lineker and Fabricio Andrade played out like it was advertised; a thrilling matchup between two elite strikers.
Yet, the missed weight by Lineker and the no-contest result ended the ONE on Prime Video 3 main event on a sour note. The former champion posted an update on his Instagram story, saying:
“Why would I care about all the criticism if I have everything in my life -- God, family, friends who really cheer for me?”
Things didn’t go as planned for Lineker. That said, ‘Hands of Stone’ shouldn’t be counted out. The former champion has overcome adversity in the past and could silence the doubters when he returns.
