“Nothing but respect for the guy” - Fabricio Andrade is all business against John Lineker

ONE bantamweight contender Fabricio Andrade insists there’s no animosity between him and the man he wants to dethrone, John Lineker.

Leading up to their ONE Bantamweight World Championship bout at ONE on Prime Video 3, live on US Primetime on October 21, Andrade has thrown some verbal jabs at Lineker every chance he got.

‘Wonder Boy’ hasn’t been shy at all in his social media posts and interviews. He vehemently talked about his desire to give ‘Hands of Stone’ the first knockout loss of his career.

The 24-year-old rising MMA star, though, made it clear that he looks up to his fellow Brazilian. Fabricio Andrade, per an interview with SCMP MMA, said he has no personal beef with the 145-pound king.

He said of Lineker:

“I know John Lineker since 2012, when I was starting to train Muay Thai and at the time, he was already fighting in the UFC and he was fighting a guy from my city. He was a flyweight at the time. I remember I was watching his fight, and I was cheering for him to win the fight. I have been a fan of him for a long time. I remember when he went up from flyweight because he was not making weight anymore and he went up to bantamweight and he just knocked out everybody in bantamweight.”

Fabricio Andrade added:

“So I have nothing but respect for the guy. He built up a big history, he had like a big name, he has so much respect for the fans in Brazil. He has been around for a long time so I have no disrespect to the guy, no bad blood.”

Watch the full interview below:

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John Lineker has "full focus" on Fabricio Andrade

John Lineker has looked invincible since moving to ONE, racking up four straight victories. His last three wins have come by way of terrifying stoppages, including the world title-clinching knockout of Bibiano Fernandes.

The idea of sharing the circle with a fearsome finisher like Lineker is a daunting task for anyone. Fabricio Andrade, however, remains unbothered.

‘Wonder Boy’ stated in the same interview:

“I know he’s one of the best bantamweights in the world, but right now it’s about business. He’s in front of me, I know can finish him, and it’s just about that. I’m gonna go there, I’m gonna finish the guy and after, I’m gonna shake his hand.”

Lineker, for his part, has remained silent throughout the challenger’s constant trash talk.

The American Top Team fighter simply captioned one of his photos from training, which translates to “full focus” in English.

He wrote:

“Foco total”

‘Hands of Stone’, of course, is the type that would rather let his fists do the talking. As we know by now, those weapons he calls "hands" make a lot of noise when they connect to their opponent's chin.