ONE on Prime Video 3: John Lineker vs. Fabricio Andrade ends in no contest after unintentional groin shot

In the ONE on Prime Video 3 main event, John Lineker met No.2-ranked bantamweight contender Fabricio Andrade. Scheduled to be contested for the bantamweight world championship, Lineker was stripped of the title after failing to make the bantamweight limit.

As a result, he was ineligible to walk out of Malaysia with the world title, win or lose. Andrade, on the other hand, was eligible as he made the contractually obligated weight limit.

While much has been said about John Lineker’s legendary power in the build-up to this fight, Fabricio Andrade showed off his own power, delivering a right hand that rocked Lineker in the first round.

As he said he would, ‘Wonder Boy’ turned Lineker into a wrestler, forcing the heavy-handed striker to clinch and grapple in order to recover.

The action picked up significantly in the second round with both fighters trading heavy shots. By the end of the five minutes, John Lineker’s right eye was swollen and completely shut. Knowing that the fight could be stopped at any moment, Lineker began to headhunt.

Nearing the halfway point of the third, Andrade delivered a brutal knee to the gut of Lineker that noticeably hurt ‘Hands of Stone.’ Smelling blood in the water, Andrade threw another knee but aimed too low and hit Lineker directly in the groin, breaking his protective cup in the process.

After a full five-minute rest period came to an end, Lineker was no longer able to continue, forcing referee Olivier Coste to call a stop to the action.

The official result was a no-contest due to an unintentional foul.

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So when is the rematch between John Lineker and Fabricio Andrade going to take place?

After a disappointing end to an otherwise fantastic night of fights, fans had one question. When is the rematch? Prior to the rather egregious foul, John Lineker and Fabricio Andrade were putting on a highly entertaining and brutal fight. Both competitors were trading hammer-like shots and asking for more

Needless to say, a rematch is the only logical action and perhaps it’s almost fate that things went down as they did when you consider Lineker’s narrow weight miss heading into the bout.

This could give ‘Hands of Stone’ the opportunity to redeem himself on the scale and enter the circle with the chance to reclaim the ONE bantamweight world title.

One thing that will be very interesting to hear is Fabricio Andrade’s thoughts on the anticlimactic finish given his penchant for trash talk and feud-building. It’s certainly not the finish that any of us wanted, but it does present the fighters with an opportunity to build towards a highly-anticipated rematch.

This is something fans will be eager to see given the taste of violence the two warriors delivered in their brief encounter on Friday night.