Fabricio Andrade says trilogy vs John Lineker not top on his hit list: “A different opponent before we have a third fight”

Newly minted ONE bantamweight MMA world champion Fabricio Andrade doesn’t see a third fight with former world champion and now no. 1-ranked divisional contender John Lineker in the foreseeable future, as he pointed out a valid reason.

In his appearance on FightWave’s YouTube channel, the 26-year-old Brazilian star explains why he wants to have a different opponent for his next MMA world title defense.

‘Wonder Boy’ claimed:

“Of course, I already beat Lineker two times so it would be interesting to have a different opponent before we have like a third fight.”

This was Andrade’s response after seeing the ‘Hands of Stone’ beat the no. 2-ranked challenger Stephen Loman in their match at ONE Fight Night 14 in September 2023, via unanimous decision.

The Tiger Muay Thai representative first fought his compatriot in October 2022 at ONE on Prime Video 3 card. He was dominating the bout until he accidentally hit him on the groin, which resulted in an anti-climatic no-contest conclusion.

Andrade’s coronation was pushed back to February 2023 at ONE Fight Night 7, where he made sure to leave no doubt that he is the best bantamweight fighter in the world today by replicating his mastery of Lineker until he got the victory via a fourth-round TKO finish.

If ‘Wonder Boy’ insists on having a different opponent for his first world title defense, he has the option to pick other contenders in the weight class like Loman, Bibiano Fernandes, or Artem Belakh.

However, Andrade is currently fully focused on his upcoming champion-versus-champion showdown with ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion Jonathan Haggerty in the main event of ONE Fight Night 16, as he has the opportunity to become a two-sport world champion because the vacant ONE bantamweight kickboxing world title will be on the line.

ONE Fight Night 16 will emanate from the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday, November 3. The entire event is set to air live in US primetime, free of charge for Amazon Prime Video subscribers in North America.