“Maybe it was already broken” - Fabricio Andrade feels John Lineker may have planted exit strategy

Second-ranked ONE bantamweight contender Fabricio Andrade is dumbfounded by the events that transpired in his world title clash against John Lineker at ONE on Prime Video 3 on Friday. He believes there’s more than meets the eye in what has become one of the most disputed endings to an MMA world title fight.

‘Wonder Boy’ was on the cusp of claiming the 145-pound throne after he caught ‘Hands of Stone’ with a stinging knee to the body that got him badly hurt in the third round. However, what was supposed to be his coronation night became a moment imbued with controversy.

After catching Lineker with that well-timed body blow, the 25-year-old swarmed him with follow-up shots and unleashed another brutal knee. That hit sent the 32-year-old crumbling to the circle floor in pain, but Lineker immediately protested a low blow.

Once the allotted five-minute injury time-out passed, Lineker was deemed unfit to continue, effectively ending the match at the 2:44-minute mark of Round 3.

While Fabricio Andrade obviously had the upper hand, the bout was ruled a no-contest and the challenger walked away from the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur without the gold strap around his waist.

The Tiger Muay Thai product was a picture of devastation as he walked back to the locker room. After all, what was supposed to be the best night of his life slipped away from his fingers due to a technicality.

Regardless of whether that knee really hit Lineker below the belt or not, ‘Wonder Boy’ believes he would have finished his opponent one way or the other had the fight continued.

Andrade made this clear in a statement post-fight:

“You know, it was actually like a smart decision for him, because if he came back, he was already destroyed, and I would have knocked him out anyway.”

Furthermore, the Brazilian star questioned the legitimacy of Lineker’s broken cup. As he was trying to recover from the supposed low blow, the feared KO artist pulled out what appeared to be a damaged groin guard.

Fabricio Andrade suggested it might have been an underhanded tactic by his desperate opponent:

“He pulled out a broken cup. Nobody can guarantee that was actually from the fight. He was acting like he knew the cup was broken. Honestly, I don’t believe I broke the cup. Maybe it was already broken.”

Watch Fabricio Andrade’s full statement below:

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Fabricio Andrade threw his mouthpiece in frustration after the bout

Fabricio Andrade gave his all in training camp in preparation for the biggest fight of his life. Understandably, he deemed the ending of this match truly unacceptable.

Filled with mixed emotions after the bout, all Andrade could do was throw his mouthpiece in frustration as he made his way back to the locker room. He said:

“It sucks, man. It sucks. I trained so much for this.”

‘Wonder Boy’ would probably have taken the decision as a man had Lineker truly bested him during their fight.

One thing is for sure. The Andrade-Lineker saga is only just beginning.