“Everything we expected happened” - John Lineker looking to avoid same mistakes from his first fight with Fabricio Andrade

John Lineker may have faced some setbacks in his first meeting with No.1 bantamweight contender Fabricio Andrade, but that doesn’t mean he’s freaking out.

In fact, he feels that the fight wasn’t even going poorly, but exactly according to plan. John Lineker recently spoke to Sportskeeda MMA about his first fight with Fabricio Andrade, indicating that the offense of the younger fighter was exactly what he expected:

“He knows how to use knockout blows a lot, with knees, kicks... He's very skilled. It didn't surprise me too much, because everything we expected happened. I was already expecting the knees and kicks. He knows how to execute the blows with excellence, but now I'm going to take more care of that part and stay off target.”

John Lineker has a reputation for being a fighter who digs his heels into the ground and throws hands until his opponents are unconscious. However, he admits that there’s room for him to be more mobile in the rematch and avoid the power shots of Andrade.

Still undefeated in ONE Championship, Lineker will look to regain a belt that he never lost in combat. He missed weight for the last fight with Fabricio Andrade, stripping him of the belt and making him ineligible to win it in the fight.

In a way, the no-contest ruling in the fight was a gift for Lineker, creating the need for a rematch and another chance for Lineker to make weight and regain the belt in short order.

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Danny Kingad praises the one-shot knockout power of John Lineker’s hooks

No matter the improvements that Fabricio Andrade makes to his game plan against John Lineker, he’ll always have to fear the one-shot power of Lineker to turn off the lights in an instant.

Danny Kingad, a fellow ONE flyweight world title contender, agrees that Andrade has to be very cautious of getting tagged by one shot from Lineker. Speaking to media outlet The MMA Superfan, Kingad had this to say:

“You know, to be honest, John Lineker’s hooks have got to hurt. It’s even more powerful because of the four-ounce gloves. So if an opponent ever eats one of his hooks, that’s a sure knockout. I think if he hits you clean, that’s a sure knockout.”

Watch the interview below:

Lineker has already proven the dynamite in his hands, having recorded 17 knockouts throughout his career.

ONE Fight Night 7 takes place on February 24th at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, The event, which is headlined by the bantamweight world title fight between Lineker and Andrade, streams on Amazon Prime in US prime time for North American subscribers.