John Lineker to defend bantamweight crown against surging Fabricio Andrade at ONE on Prime Video 3

John Linker (L) wants to send a message against trash-talking challenger Fabricio Andrade (R) at ONE on Prime Video 3. | Photos by ONE Championship
John Lineker (L) wants to send a message against trash-talking challenger Fabricio Andrade (R) at ONE on Prime Video 3. | Photos by ONE Championship

Sparks are bound to fly in the co-main event of ONE on Prime Video 3, as newly crowned ONE Bantamweight World Champion John Lineker will make his first defense against No.1-ranked challenger Fabricio Andrade.

Fresh from ending Bibiano Fernandes' long reign at ONE: Lights Out last March, ‘Hands of Stone’ will look to knock out another fellow Brazilian and begin his own reign as king of the 145-pound fighters.

It seems like John Lineker has been on the hunt for gold since making his ONE debut in 2019. The 32-year-old KO artist justified the hype by earning a hard-fought unanimous decision win over Muin Gafurov in his promotional debut at ONE: Dawn of Valor.

Lineker then solidified his reputation as one of the hardest-hitting fighters in the world with statement victories over former bantamweight titleholder Kevin Belingon and decorated wrestler Troy Worthen.

Armed with a deadly combination of ridiculous power and a granite chin, Lineker marched his way to a world title shot against the mighty Bibiano Fernandes and put on the performance of his life.

The American Top Team standout was taken down a couple of times by Fernandes and was even dropped by a right hand in the first round.

Lineker, however, still had the ultimate trump card in his pocket. Once ‘Hands of Stone’ landed clean, the fight was over. He finished off the ex-champ in round two with a scary left hook, followed by another right on his downed opponent just for good measure.


John Lineker is fueled by Fabricio Andrade’s trash talk

We know John Lineker doesn’t need the extra motivation against Fabricio Andrade. The desire to stay on top should be enough.

Then again, ‘Wonder Boy’ poked the bear when he cheekily called out Lineker after his win over Kwon Won Il at ONE 158.

Here’s the gutsy moment where Andrade called the bantamweight king a “chicken:"

Andrade’s actions may seem brash, but he does walk the talk. The Tiger Muay Thai fighter has won his last seven fights, including four impressive finishes inside the Circle.

The 24-year-old Brazilian has the striking pedigree to stand and bang against anyone.

Andrade sent Jeremy Pacatiw writhing in pain with a well-placed body blow last February. He finished Kwon in a similar manner with a thunderous body kick in his last outing.

ONE on Prime Video 3 will be broadcast live on Amazon Prime on October 21 from Singapore. The card is headlined by Reinier de Ridder and Shamil Abdulaev for the ONE Middleweight World Title.

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Edited by John Cunningham