Fabricio Andrade thanks John Lineker for the “toughest fight” of his life

Fabricio Andrade may have secured the victory against John Lineker, but there were moments when the fight seemed to be slipping away from him.

With both men carrying hammers in their hands, each took heavy damage over four rounds in the main event of ONE Fight Night 7. Lineker, who is seven years older and far more seasoned than Andrade, ultimately began to slow down as the fight hit the championship rounds.

John Lineker’s swollen, discolored face provided bad optics to his cornerman after round four, as he mercifully stopped the fight. Fabricio Andrade finally won the ONE bantamweight world championship.

Andrade recently posted a video on his Instagram sharing the moments after the fight, where he thanked John Lineker for the toughest fight of his life, take a look:

"Besides all the talk coming for the fight, @johnlinekermma gave me the toughest fight of my life in my also first rematch, he came to fight and I knew he would that’s why I was ready to go 10 rounds like that to be able to take him out of there. @johnlinekermma thank you for the fight it was a honor to fight the guy I have been watching since I was 14."

When Fabricio Andrade was fourteen years old, John Lineker was just about to begin his UFC run, where he went 12-4 at flyweight and bantamweight. In just his 12th professional MMA fight, Fabricio Andrade has already fought some incredible competition.

He has defeated hard hitters such as Mark Abelardo, Li Kai Wen, and Kwon Won Il, rising star Jeremy Pacatiw, and MMA veteran Shoko Sato through his run in ONE Championship. The seven and a half rounds against John Lineker have seen Andrade tested, but pushed to be his best self.

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“Now it’s time to rest”: Fabricio Andrade reflects on fighting five times in fifteen months

Fabricio Andrade has been a busy man.

He’s fought five times since December 2021, going 4-0 with one No Contest. Andrade reflected with gratitude on his breakout performances in ONE Championship, claiming that now is a time to rest and enjoy the victories.

"5 fights in 1 year and three months 2 fights being for the world title, everything happening really fast and I can just be grateful for everything now it’s time to rest and soon I will be back better and stronger than ever, thank you everyone for the messages and support"

None of Fabricio Andrade’s last five fights went the distance, as he was able to finish Li Kaiwen, Jeremy Pacatiw, Kwon Won Il, and John Lineker before the final bell.

There’s no easy fights for the new bantamweight world champion from here on out, as he’s now public enemy number one for the division’s elite.