“This belt is actually mine” - John Lineker says scales, not an opponent, beat him for the world title

ONE on Prime Video 3’s main event between John Lineker and Fabricio Andrade delivered whilst the two men were inside the cage. However, it wasn’t without its controversies.

Leading into the fight, champion John Lineker was stripped of his world championship after missing weight. Nevertheless, he was cleared to compete under the stipulations that he would forfeit 20% of his purse and be ineligible to win back his bantamweight title on the night.

The fight ended in disappointing fashion after Andrade hurt Lineker and attempted to follow up with a second knee to the body, which landed low. After a five-minute recovery period, Lineker couldn’t continue and the fight was declared a no contest with the bantamweight world title remaining vacant.

In an interview with ONE Championship, John Lineker said:

“I really want to get this belt back. I didn't lose the title to an opponent, but to the scales. This belt is actually mine. I remain the champion. I can't wait to fight for the belt again.”

Whilst Lineker still claims to be the champion, he did show respect towards his opponent Fabricio Andrade in the days following the fight.

An immediate rematch between the two will be high on the priority list for the fans after their first encounter was held down by a weight miss and unsatisfying conclusion.

---

“It's something that haunts me” - John Lineker upset he missed weight and lost his belt

Former ONE bantamweight world champion John Lineker went into ONE on Prime Video 3 ready to make the first defence of his world championship.

A string of unfortunate events led to John Lineker’s title being left vacant after he was stripped of the belt when he missed weight.

Lineker was stripped of his world title for missing weight twice: the first time at 145.5 pounds and the second time at 145.75 pounds, as the South China Morning Post reported.

Speaking to ONE Championship, Lineker revealed his disappointment at missing weight and how it has been a recurring battle for him in his career.

"Losing the title for a silly thing, for a miscalculation I made at the weigh-ins, made me very upset. This weight issue seems like karma to me. It's something that haunts me. I had managed to adapt well, and it was working, and now this happens. It's a trauma. I was very upset. I wasn't suffering to lose weight, it wasn't lack of professionalism or lack of training. It was silly and made me very upset, even because of the history I already had.”

John Lineker’s issues making weight go back to his UFC run, where he missed weight five times. ONE on Prime Video 3 marks the first time that he has failed under ONE’s weigh-in and hydration tests.