John Lineker won’t hesitate to use his wrestling and jiu-jitsu against Fabricio Andrade if there’s a opportunity

John Lineker is notorious for knocking people out with his ‘Hands of Stone’ but if given the opportunity, he won’t hesitate to use his well-rounded wrestling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills against division rival Fabricio Andrade on Friday night.

Lineker will seek to recapture the ONE bantamweight world championship after losing the title on the scale ahead of their ONE on Prime Video 3 showdown last October and ‘Hands of Stone’ will do that by any means necessary.

Even if it means holstering his knockout power in favor of some ground and pound. Speaking with the South China Morning Post ahead of the highly anticipated rematch, Lineker said:

”If I have an opportunity to use my wrestling or jiu-jitsu, that's what I’m gonna do. But I’m a boxer and I like to knock people out. That's what I intend to do.”

John Lineker is more than capable of holding his own on the mat, but the Brazilian heavy hitter has developed a taste for highlight-reel knockouts throughout his 15-year combat sports career. Perhaps the best example inside the Circle is his second-round destruction of former ONE world champion Bibiano Fernandes.

Lineker only needed to uncork one massive left hook to put Fernandes’ lights out in a flash to capture his first piece of ONE Championship gold.

Watch the interview below:

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John Lineker is ready to redeem himself after losing ONE world championship on the scale

In a long enough career, every world champion eventually suffers defeat. For most, it’s an inevitable moment, but no fighter wants to be defeated before they even step into the cage. Sadly, that is exactly what happened to John Lineker when he stepped on the scale four months ago for his first meeting with Fabricio Andrade.

Lineker failed to make weight for the main event clash, leaving ONE Championship with no choice but to strip ‘Hands of Stone’ of his title before he could even make his first defense. He further told ONE Championship:

"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."

He added:

“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.”

Fortunately, there was no repeat incident during the ONE Fight Night 7 weigh-ins as John Lineker passed both his hydration test and weigh-in without issue, as did Fabricio Andrade, guaranteeing fans a can’t-missed main event rematch on Friday night in U.S. primetime.

The event will be broadcast live and for free on Prime Video for all Amazon subscribers in North America.