“Difficult to see how this match will end” - Joshua Pacio torn on the outcome of the John Lineker vs. Fabricio Andrade world title clash

ONE strawweight world champion Joshua Pacio is in deep preparation for his return to the circle on December 3 as ONE Championship returns to Manilla for the first time in nearly two years. Meeting him in the main event will be No.1-ranked contender Jarred ‘The Monkey God’ Brooks.

Before ‘The Passion’ defends his crown, he spent some time speaking with ONE Championship about another highly anticipated ONE world title showdown.

At ONE on Prime Video 3, reigning champion John ‘Hands of Stone’ Lineker and No. 2-ranked challenger Fabricio ‘Wonder Boy’ Andrade will collided for the bantamweight title. Asked how he sees the headliner going, Joshua Pacio said:

“This is what’s great about mixed martial arts. You’ll never know what happens. Andrade likes to trash talk a lot, but his work ethic is insane. You also see in his fight camp, he has high-level training partners, Petr Yan being one of them. He’s not someone you can just overlook. He also has excellent timing. His knees, his knees are incredible. He knows how to gauge his distance.”

Since debuting inside the circle in 2020, Fabricio Andrade has rattled off five straight wins.

Opening his ONE career with a submission win over Mark Abelardo, ‘Wonder Boy’ has since added four wins and three straight knockouts, including a spectacular 62-second body-kick KO against Kwon Won Il in his last outing at ONE 158.

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Joshua Pacio believes John Lineker’s experience and durability will be key

As John Lineker and Fabricio Andrade step into the main event spotlight on Friday night, ‘Hands of Stone’ will hold a clear advantage when it comes to experience, with 15 years and more than 40 fights under his belt.

Joshua Pacio believes that experience will be a key factor for Lineker, who faces another knockout artist in Andrade:

“We shouldn’t forget that John Lineker is a seasoned veteran. He’s competed with some of the best and reached the top of the division. I think he’ll use his experience and durability in this match. I can’t predict a winner because it’s really difficult to see how this match will end.”

Like his challenger, Lineker will go into ONE on Prime Video 3 with an undefeated record inside the circle and three knockouts in his last three outings. That includes his shocking destruction of former world champion Bibiano Fernandes at ONE: Lights out in March.