“I ended up giving him a chance” - Fabricio Andrade admits to big mistake in second round against John Lineker

Although confident in his performance against John Lineker, Fabricio Andrade has had time to find his mistakes as well.

A fight that dramatically ended in a no-contest ruling was going the way of Andrade at the time of the stoppage, as the younger striker was getting the better of the exchanges on the feet.

Reflecting on the fight in an interview with the South China Morning Post, Fabricio Andrade expressed frustration over the second round of his performance, saying:

“I ended up exposing myself, which is something I don’t normally do. I don’t want to go there, I don’t want to get hit. I know I’m a level above those guys. I don’t want to go there and give him a chance. I ended up giving him a chance because I was rushing myself too much.”

Despite the missteps Fabricio Andrade believes he made in round two, there were likely moves in round three that he wishes he could take back as well. A low blow from ‘Wonder Boy’ broke the cup of John Lineker and the former world champion was unable to continue.

With a rematch potentially in the works for next year, Fabricio Andrade will have a chance to analyze the tape of their first fight and make improvements on where he feels he let off the gas against Lineker.

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John Lineker aiming for Fabricio Andrade rematch after healing up

While Fabricio Andrade may have been a step ahead in their first fight, Lineker wants the rematch just as badly. Stripped of his belt on the scale, he’s no doubt eager to win it and his reputation back.

The weight miss is unfortunately the latest in a pattern of misses on the scale, even after moving up in weight when signing with ONE Championship.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Lineker expressed his interest in a rematch:

"I believe there will be a second fight. The audience wants to see that fight again. It was a very exciting fight, a war, and the audience likes that style of fighting. It was a very busy fight. I want to face him again soon, but first I need to recover. My face is a little crumpled now [laughs]. But let's see a date to have this new fight against him."

Lineker’s timeline for recovery may very well dictate the timing of the rematch’s booking, should ONE Championship choose to go in that direction. Getting his weight and conditioning down will be critical for Lineker, who doesn’t want to see another opportunity to win the belt slip away.

In the bustling bantamweight division, a line is sure to form at the top soon. Especially with the Andrade-Lineker rematch likely, Stephen Loman and Bibiano Fernades meeting this month, and Kwon Won Il in action as well.