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The bantamweight world title fight between John Lineker and Fabricio Andrade came to an unfortunate conclusion at ONE on Prime Video 3 after an illegal groin strike from 'Wonder Boy' caused a no-contest ruling.
Andrade has since come out to reaffirm his confidence in being the best bantamweight on earth. The rising star told ONE Championship:
“In his mind, he knows I'm better than he is, so I can't believe he wants a rematch with me anytime soon. But if it happens, I'm sure I'll knock him out fast.”
In the lead-up to the low blow, Andrade was realizing a lot of success, outstriking the heavy-handed Lineker and even forcing him to shoot for takedowns at one point.
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Watch the entire fight-ending sequence below:
Fabricio Andrade frustrated but still confident
As expected, the 25-year-old contender was immensely frustrated following the fight's abrupt end. However, 'Wonder Boy' believes people saw enough to crown him the promotion's best bantamweight.
Andrade told ONE Championship in a post-fight interview:
“Now, I'm the best bantamweight in ONE and one of the best in the world, so having the belt would be very important to me. I already gave up my vacation to be able to go back to the gym and continue training. Now, I'll wait to find out who will be my opponent for the belt.”
With Lineker missing weight prior to the event, the bantamweight title now sits vacant. This means that Fabricio Andrade could face a different opponent for the belt instead of 'Hands of Stone'.
Other top contenders include former champ Bibiano Fernandes, Kwon Won Il, and Stephen Loman. In fact, Andrade is now the No.1 contender following the most recent update to the rankings.
Few will argue that Andrade was leading the dance at ONE on Prime Video 3. To perform like that on the global stage at such a young age speaks volumes of the young fighter's confidence. He clearly has what it takes to be a world champion.
Be on the lookout for an announcement regarding Fabricio Andrade's next fight, as it's all but guaranteed to be another bantamweight world title fight.
