Fabricio Andrade claims John Lineker was cautious of his most dangerous weapon 

Fabricio Andrade put on a striking clinic in the biggest fight of his career to date at ONE on Prime Video 3. The only downside to his performance was that Andrade didn’t walk away with the world championship since the fight ended in a no-contest.

‘Wonder Boy’ hurt his opponent John Lineker with his trademark knee to the body, but when he tried to follow up with another knee and end the fight, the strike landed low and caught Lineker on the groin. The former champion couldn’t continue, and the fight came to a disappointing end, leaving the bantamweight world title vacant.

Before the unfortunate ending, Andrade was able to demonstrate his striking arsenal, controlling the range against Lineker, which he believes was due to his opponent's approach. In an interview with The MMA Superfan, Andrade spoke about his performance and how his most devastating shot kept the former champion at bay:

“I started to connect with my cross, high kicks, something more, because he was not coming because he was scared of the knee and stuff.”

Watch the full interview below:

Unable to implement his marauding pressure-based offence because of Andrade’s precise striking from range, Lineker was forced to try and close the distance on his opponent. As soon as Lineker stepped into close range with Andrade, ‘Wonder Boy’ unleashed the knee to the body, which nearly won him the world championship.

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Fabricio Andrade says John Lineker’s corner was getting desperate toward the end

As the fight was slipping away from the former champion, Fabricio Andrade believes John Lineker’s team was giving up on their fighter at ONE on Prime Video 3.

‘Wonder Boy’ was on his way to becoming the ONE bantamweight world champion last month with an impressive performance. His accuracy and range proved too much for Lineker, who couldn’t implement his pressure-fighting style. The 25-year-old landed a beautiful knee to the body in the third round and followed up with a brutal knee to the groin, which led to the former champion being unable to continue.

During an interview with The MMA Superfan, Fabricio Andrade said that Lineker’s team were showing signs that they were losing faith in their fighter the longer it went on:

“He was tired, man. I saw his corner and everybody was desperate, you know. They were like bringing him up because they knew he was getting knocked out. I could see that they were desperate, you know, and he was like all blood on his face, he was breathing heavy, he was scared. I knew the fire was gone.”

Whilst the no-contest result may have left the bantamweight title vacant, John Lineker and Fabricio Andrade will settle their inconclusive meeting in a rematch at ONE on Prime Video 7 in February 2023.