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Former ONE bantamweight world champion John Lineker will face arch-rival Fabricio Andrade in a rematch for the belt at ONE Fight Night 7. The bout, which will take place at the legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, will finally settle the score between the two bitter foes.
The first bout between 'Hands of Stone' and 'Wonder Boy' back at ONE on Prime Video 3 in October last year was shrouded in controversy. Just the trash talk leading up to the fight alone was worthy of headlines. At the weigh-ins, John Lineker missed weight and was forced to relinquish the belt, making Andrade the only one eligible to win the world title.
The fight itself was an exciting affair, with both fighters living up to the hype and providing non-stop action from start to finish. By round 3, Andrade was starting to pull away and landed his signature knee to the body that sent Lineker retreating in pain.
Andrade went in for the kill but inadvertedly hit John Lineker in the groin with another knee strike. The impact was apparently so strong that it broke Lineker's groin cup. The bout was waved off as 'Hands of Stone' couldn't continue anymore and it was ruled a No-Contest, leaving the world title vacant.
In a recent post by ONE Championship on Instagram, it was revealed that the former ONE bantamweight king is coming in prepared with the necessary hardware. It seems that Lineker is prepared to no let the rematch become a repeat of the first bout.
Here's the post:
"You heard him 😳 John Lineker rematches Fabricio Andrade for the vacant ONE Bantamweight World Title on February 24 at ONE Fight Night 7 on Prime Video! 🏆"
John Lineker hints at better footwork coming into rematch with Fabricio Andrade
In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA, John Lineker gave us an insight into his game plan for the rematch with Fabricio Andrade. Apparently, 'Hands of Stone' looks to be focused on improving some of the things that he was already doing in the first fight.
Lineker said:
“The strategy won't change much, but I'm improving a few things. I've been working on footwork, how to better move my head, and how to better shorten the distance during the fight. I'm going to keep practically the same game, only more evolved.”
Lineker arguably had a lot of problems tagging Andrade, as 'Wonder Boy' was masterfully using distance control and darting shots to pick him apart. Perhaps it's indeed footwork and better in-and-out movement that can help 'Hands of Stone' right his wrongs. We'll just have to wait and see.
Fans in North America can catch ONE Fight Night 7 on U.S. primetime on February 24 live and for free on Prime Video with an Amazon subscription.
