“He has the power to knock out anybody” - Demetrious Johnson talks John Lineker’s ‘hands of stone’

Demetrious Johnson knows that John Lineker’s ‘Hands of Stone’ are more of an identity than a nickname.

The reigning ONE flyweight world champion is well aware of the destruction that Lineker has in his hands. That fatal force will be on full display when the ONE bantamweight world champion defends his belt against the brash Fabricio Andrade at ONE on Prime Video 3: De Ridder vs. Abdulaev on October 21, US primetime.

Johnson, in an interview with ONE Championship, previewed the upcoming bantamweight world title match at Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It was in that conversation wherein ‘Mighty Mouse’ described how deadly Lineker’s punches are.

Demetrious Johnson said:

“I think it’s going to come down to when John Lineker’s going to land his punches, right? He’s going to land his big punches. Obviously, he has the power to knock out anybody, so it’s going to come down to whether Fabricio Andrade can, one, take the power, and two, utilize John Lineker’s big swings.”

Lineker is 4-0 in ONE Championship with three of his wins coming by way of knockout. His best finish, though, was when he snatched the bantamweight throne from longtime king Bibiano Fernandes.

Fernandes, who’s known for his ground game, went toe-to-toe on his feet against Lineker at ONE: Lights Out this past March in an attempt to stay on top of his division. ‘Hands of Stone’, however, had one explosive trick up his sleeve.

Lineker ducked in for a right hook to the body before exploding for a hammer of a left hook that instantly sent Fernandes falling to the canvas.

What was seen as impossible became a reality when Lineker took the bantamweight gold away with a second-round knockout of Fernandes.

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Demetrious Johnson is in awe of Fabricio Andrade

While Demetrious Johnson is impressed with Lineker, he’s also raving about the challenger, Andrade.

The No.2-ranked bantamweight contender already carries himself with supreme confidence and his mic skills might just be as good as his in-ring work.

Andrade is 5-0 in ONE Championship with four of his wins coming via knockout. The talented young Brazilian also has three straight first-round knockouts with the last coming at the expense of Kwon Won Il at ONE 158 this past June.

Demetrious Johnson, in the same ONE Championship interview, said he loves Andrade’s unrelenting pace and the bantamweight star’s no-holds-barred approach to fights:

“Fabricio Andrade, he’s f****** good. That fight is going to be sick between him and John Lineker. I really like Andrade. I really, really do. I think it’s the way he comes out and fights. He pushes the pace, he takes risks. I think that fight against John Lineker is going to be a great fight.”