John Lineker admits he was surprised by Fabricio Andrade’s chin

Former bantamweight world champion John Lineker has a reputation for knocking his opponents unconscious.

The nickname ‘Hands of Stone’ isn’t just a great moniker, it’s a warning to any of his opponents that they don't want to get hit by this guy, as evidenced by his 17 professional wins by knockout.

Despite this, Lineker’s power didn’t seem to influence his last fight with Fabricio Andrade at ONE Prime Video 3. Ahead of their rematch on February 24, a big question in the buildup surrounds how Lineker will adapt after losing the stand-up exchanges to his fellow Brazilian striker.

Speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda MMA, the former titleholder spoke about how Andrade impressed him in their first fight:

“He's a tough guy and he surprised me in [the first] fight, because he showed himself to be a guy who can take the hits. But now we are working hard on these strong points and we are going in search of this victory”

One of Lineker’s key issues in the fight was really taking control of the contest. With Andrade’s range and speed, he was able to dictate the majority of the fight and stop Lineker from implementing his gameplan.

For their rematch, John Lineker must find a way to close the distance and connect with his explosive power.

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John Lineker says Fabricio Andrade’s trash talk only fires him up even more

One thing that hasn’t changed after the first fight between Fabricio Andrade and John Lineker is Andrade’s confidence.

In the build-up to their first meeting at ONE on Prime Video 3, ‘Wonder Boy’ trash-talked the former world champion and proved a lot of what he said to be true with his performance in the fight.

Despite failing to become the bantamweight world champion due to the no contest outcome, Andrade has continued to poke at John Lineker. Many of his Lineker's opponents can testify to that being a dangerous game to play.

Whilst Andrade may be full of confidence going into their rematch on February 24, John Lineker is one of the most experienced fighters on the ONE Championship roster.

In an interview with the promotion, the former world champion spoke about how he views Andrade’s talking:

“I like opponents who try to provoke me. Instead of making me feel pressure, he motivates me.”

Following the events of their first fight, Lineker knows exactly what he must improve upon in order to make the rematch a more competitive contest. By Andrade’s words adding fuel to his fire, we could see a version of John Lineker that was missing the first time around.

Their main event pairing at ONE Fight Night 7 will be broadcast live and for free on Prime Video for all Amazon subscribers across North America.