John Lineker’s wild hooks or Fabricio Andrade’s knees: What’s the better weapon?

Sparks are once again bound to fly between ONE bantamweight contenders Fabricio Andrade and John Lineker at ONE Fight Night 7. After all, pitting two of the best-proven finishers in the promotion is the perfect recipe for guaranteed fireworks.

The rematch of the century will emanate from the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on February 24. As always, ONE Fight Night 7 will broadcast live and free for Amazon Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.

Both fighters have developed a reputation as absolute killers over the course of their respective careers.

For one, ‘Hands of Stone’ has lived up to his moniker and put countless tough guys to sleep over the years with his brutal hooks. ‘Wonder Boy’, on the other hand, has taken the wind out of his opponents with those precise and piercing knees of his.

It’s time to settle this debate once and for all. Who has the better finishing move between these two Brazilian head-hunters?

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The case for John Lineker’s hooks

John Lineker has one of the most fearsome nicknames in combat sports. That’s not a gimmick either.

This man is truly blessed with weapons of mass destruction in his fists. ‘Hands of Stone’, who has 17 knockouts in 35 career wins, has left a trail of bodies flying all over with that destructive power.

The former ONE bantamweight world champion’s main weapon of choice is a looping right hand, which seemingly packs enough force to knock out an elephant. If his foes are lucky enough to dodge that missile, there’s usually a follow-up left cross which is equally devastating.

In fact, Lineker ended Bibiano Fernandes’ reign of terror in the 145-pound ranks using those wild hooks.

Truth be told, Lineker loves to load up on his punches and his wind-up can be predictable at times.

For some unexplainable reason, though, even the most evasive fighters cannot escape what’s coming. Just ask Andrade, who also felt the wrath of Lineker’s punches in their first match.

Furthermore, the Brazilian also mixes up his hooks well, targeting both the head and body.

Re-watch Lineker’s brilliant fight-ending sequence against Kevin Belingon to see for yourself:

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The case for Fabricio Andrade’s knees

Conor McGregor famously said, “Precision beats power and timing beats speed.”

The quote basically embodies what Fabricio Andrade is all about. The Tiger Muay Thai standout has arguably one of the most complete striking arsenals in mixed martial arts today.

However, ‘Wonder Boy’ has truly made a name for himself with those signature knees to the body. Unlike Lineker’s Sunday punch, Andrade has little to no wind-up when throwing those knees, which makes it extremely unpredictable.

It comes insanely fast in a precise and well-timed motion, making the impact more devastating.

Team Lakay’s rising star Jeremy Pacatiw learned this the hard way when the 25-year-old sent him crumbling in pure agony. The Filipino lunged forward to perform a strike, but ‘Wonder Boy’ saw this a mile away and delivered a crushing blow to his ribs.

Rewatch Andrade vs Pacatiw here, and listen to the sickening thud upon impact:

Let’s not forget Andrade did the same against Lineker in their first match. ‘Hands of Stone’, who’s also known for his durability, winced in pain in round three after absorbing Andrade’s best shot.

Had the follow-up knee been a few centimeters higher, then we would likely have a new bantamweight world champion right now.

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Final verdict

Obviously, Lineker has more body of work to show for, given he has been fighting professionally since 2008.

We’ve seen him knock out a lot of big names during his tenure in North America. He brought the same one-shot power inside the circle to become a world champion by unseating Fernandes in the most decisive way possible.

Then again, we must also give Andrade the benefit of the doubt considering he came extremely close to handing Lineker the first knockout loss of his storied career.

Given the circumstances of how their first fight went, it’s fair to say that Andrade's wicked knees does have a slight edge on this one.

Good thing we won’t have to wait that long to reach a conclusion at ONE Fight Night 7, which will air live and free for Amazon Prime Video users in North America and Canada.