“He will pick his shots” - Joshua Pacio thinks Fabricio Andrade will fight smart against John Lineker

Reigning ONE strawweight world champion Joshua Pacio doubts Fabrico Andrade’s promise to stand and bang against John Lineker at ONE on Prime Video 3.

On Friday, October 21, at Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, ‘Wonder Boy’ will finally get the opportunity to back up his claims. He'll try to pry away the ONE bantamweight world title from the man with ‘Hands of Stone’.

While Pacio believes Andrade will honor his no-takedown agreement with the world champion, he thinks the Brazilian challenger is too wise to figure in an all-out brawl against one of the most feared knockout artists in all of mixed martial arts.

As ‘The Passion’ sees it, the second-ranked bantamweight contender will likely use his speed advantage to stay out of John Lineker’s line of fire. If the opportunity presents itself, that’s the only time the 25-year-old will strike.

The Filipino fighter explained this in an exclusive interview with ONE Championship:

“I think Andrade won’t go shot for shot against John Lineker. I think he will pick his shots. However, if he finds the right opening, I believe he can go all the way for the knockout. But I don’t think he can stand and bang with Lineker straight up.”

It’s a known fact that there are not a lot of fighters who are willing to trade punch for a punch against John Lineker. Why would they? The 32-year-old basically made a career out of sending his opponents to the nether realm with that ridiculous destructive power he possesses.

Andrade, though, promised to beat the American Top Team slugger in his own game and even vowed to become the first fighter to knock him out.

While Andrade’s striking acumen is no joke, it’s a stark contrast to Lineker’s ultra-aggressive style. The Tiger Muay Thai star is more methodical with his attacks and prefers to use speed and precision rather than brute force.

We've witnessed Andrade exercise patience inside the circle, even during his string of three straight first-round knockout wins. For instance, he waited for the right opportunity to land a brutal knee strike to the body of Pacio’s Team Lakay teammate Jeremy Pacatiw during their bout this past February.

If Andrade employs the same tactic against Lineker – and avoids those scary haymakers in the process – then maybe we’ll see a new world champion in the 145-pound ranks.

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Stephen Loman believes John Lineker will knock out Fabricio Andrade

Another Team Lakay standout has also weighed in on the upcoming war for the bantamweight throne. Stephen Loman, who is currently ranked fourth in the division, is also eager to see how this heated matchup plays out.

Similar to Pacio’s take, ‘The Sniper’ also believes that Andrade will not play with fire right away and pick his shots against the incredibly dangerous John Lineker.

He told ONE Championship:

"This will be a five-round contest, so I think both fighters will be smart about their approach. I think in the first and second rounds, they will be gaging each other’s ability and trying to find their timing for that killer blow."

Loman, who hopes to secure his own bantamweight world title shot soon, added that the gold strap will likely remain with ‘Hands of Stone’ by the end of the fight.

"Between the third and fourth rounds, I believe one of them will fall down, and I’m leaning more on the idea that Andrade will be the one on the canvas."