“There are many gaps in his game” - John Lineker says he can beat Fabricio Andrade after facing him the first time

In a recent interview, ‘Hands of Stone’ John Lineker said he can beat Fabricio Andrade after facing him for the first time at ONE on Prime Video 3.

The former bantamweight king is headed to war in a few days’ time to reclaim the vacant ONE bantamweight world title. He is set to rematch Brazilian phenom ‘Wonder Boy’ Fabricio Andrade on Feb 24 at ONE Fight Night 7 on Prime Video in Thailand.

Their highly-anticipated event follows their first match back in October 2022, with the bout ending early due to a no-contest ruling. Therefore, with the ability to run it back again, John Lineker explained that the time away has helped him discover some of his own flaws as well as his opponent’s.

Speaking exclusively to MMA Sucka, ‘Hands of Stone’ said:

“I saw that I can beat him. After our first fight, I saw that there are many gaps in his game that I can exploit. I saw that I can work on my game better. So, that was the biggest lesson I learned from that fight, that I can do some things better in my game and come out with the win in this rematch.”

MMA fans are very familiar with John Lineker’s aggressive fighting style and incredible knockout power. Although it often worked against other top fighters such as multiple-time ONE bantamweight world champion Bibiano Fernandes, Fabricio Andrade is a new breed of athlete.

Lineker will have to use other tools in his arsenal, like his wrestling, to confuse Andrade so that he doesn’t pick up on his movements as quickly as the first time they fought. Thankfully, ‘Hands of Stone’ has a great team behind him to prepare him for this uphill battle.

His headlining match with Fabricio Andrade at ONE Fight Night 7 will be broadcast live and for free on U.S. primetime on February 24 for North American fans with a Prime Video subscription.

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John Lineker believes the first match with Andrade would’ve gone the distance if there was no foul

MMA veteran John Lineker believes he could’ve gone the five full rounds with Fabricio Andrade if it weren’t for the foul in the first match.

Lineker is still feeling bitter about the untimely end of his first match against Fabricio Andrade. The former divisional king started the bout strong with a couple of great takedowns in the first two rounds, but his energy waned as they moved deeper into the rounds.

Entering the third, Lineker was worse for wear as he fought with one eye swollen shut. However, Lineker stands firm on his belief that if Andrade didn’t land the low blow which ended the fight, he would have fought until the very end.

Ahead of his match, he told ONE Championship:

“The only thing that hurt was the knee to the rib and then he landed the knee in my groin. If it weren’t for that illegal move, he would have had to fight me for five rounds. And it would be a war until the end.”