Fabricio Andrade talks about being on the verge of victory in first fight against John Lineker

Both the fans and Fabricio Andrade could feel how close he was to becoming the bantamweight world champion in his last fight.

At ONE on Prime Video 3, Andrade produced a great performance against former champion John Lineker. But after hurting his fellow Brazilian with a knee, Andrade’s follow-up shot landed low to his opponent's groin and he couldn’t continue, ending the fight in a no contest.

Although Fabricio Andrade gave a great account of himself, he failed to capture the world championship despite dominating the majority of the fight.

Ahead of their rematch at ONE Fight Night 7 on February 24, Andrade believes that he learned a vital lesson in their first fight, which he can carry with him to make sure that this time around he leaves as the world champion.

In an interview with SCMP MMA, he said:

“I know I was winning the fight. Because until the point that happened, I was comfortable. At the beginning of the fight, I was rushing a little bit, but by the third round, I decided to find the pace. And then I was like if I fight like this, he is not going to touch me, and I'm going to knock him out soon. So I keep doing that. And then that happens.”

Watch the full interview below:

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“We all know he's a b***h now” - Fabricio Andrade mocks John Lineker for breaking their "no takedowns" pact

One thing that hasn’t changed from their first fight to the upcoming rematch between Fabricio Andrade and John Lineker is Andrade’s trash talk.

Ahead of their first fight, ‘Wonder Boy’ said that he would turn his opponent into a wrestler once he started dominating the striking exchanges. At ONE on Prime Video 3, Andrade was proved to be correct.

When it became clear that Lineker was struggling in the striking ranges, he switched his gameplan to be more focused on grappling.

In the same interview, Fabricio Andrade spoke about Lineker shooting for takedowns in their first fight:

“I said if he shoots, he's a b**ch. So we all know he's a b**ch now. It is what it is. It is true, you know, we made a bet and that was the price, and he broke it.”

A big question going into their rematch is how John Lineker will adapt his approach on February 24. After disputing claims that he would shoot for takedowns, he found little success with his striking, which is usually the dominant side of his fighting style.

Many believe that an even greater emphasis on grappling might be a smart option for the former champion. However, he has stated that he has been working on his movement to make sure that he can land his devastating power shots on Andrade.