‘Hellbows’ could take John Lineker’s already explosive stand-up game to the next level

ONE bantamweight world champion John Lineker is sharpening his elbow strikes. (Image courtesy of ONE)
ONE bantamweight world champion John Lineker is sharpening his elbow strikes. (Image courtesy of ONE)

ONE bantamweight world champion John Lineker has perhaps the most dangerous set of hands in the entire organization. He's nicknamed 'Hands of Stone' for a reason.

The Brazilian champion, however, is now expanding his arsenal of lethal weapons by sharpening his elbow strikes. In a recent Instagram video, Lineker was seen throwing some serious heat with his elbows:

One of the more effective ways to repell the powerful hooks of a man like Lineker is to either be out of range or get so close to him that he can't connect with enough space.

With Lineker honing his power to connect it at close range via clinch elbows, however, it will significantly bring down his opponents' chances of surviving his attacks.


Fabricio Andrade may have punched his ticket to a world title shot against John Lineker

At ONE 158 back in June, we may have seen the emergence of a new world title challenger to ONE bantamweight king John Lineker's throne. 'Wonder Boy' Fabricio Andrade punched in his third straight KO/TKO win on top of his impressive seven-fight winning streak in ONE.

The Brazilian knocked out fellow heavy-handed knockout artist 'Pretty Boy' Kwon Won Il. The body-shot KO was so incredible that ONE Championship awarded 'Wonder Boy' a $50,000 performance bonus for it.

Both Kwon and Andrade are considered two of the most lethal knockout kings in the ONE bantamweight division, aside from world champion John Lineker.

Right from the opening bell, Andrade connected with a left roundhouse kick to Kwon's body, seemingly telling Kwon that he has more weapons than just his powerful hands.

After a few more exchanges on the feet, Andrade once again connected with the same thunderous mid-kick. The impact and timing were perfect as 'Pretty Boy' fell to the ground in massive pain, awarding Andrade the win via TKO.

In his post-fight interview inside the circle, the Brazilian powerhouse unsurprisingly called out world champ John Lineker, whom he's been trading barbs with for months:

"I have been working a lot with my kicks. Everything, you know. And I knew he [Kwon] have some openings and I knew when I touch him, I have some different power, you know. I have some different speed and I knew I was going to finish him and I know I'm gonna finish [ONE bantamweight champion] John Lineker. Get ready boy, you are next."

Though there's no official fight yet announced between the two, it's hard to see any man other than Andrade being the next challenger for Lineker. It will be an epic clash that will surely see someone go to sleep before the final bell.

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