John Lineker hails Fabricio Andrade’s jabs that impaired his vision

At ONE Fight Night 7, John Lineker failed to reclaim his bantamweight world championship. However, he gave a much better account of himself this time around.

Fabricio Andrade still managed to control large parts of the second encounter, but Lineker was able to answer some of the questions that were thrown at him after the events of ONE on Prime Video 3.

The former world champion made the fight closer for a start, winning exchanges, landing huge power shots and doing a better job of cutting off his opponent’s footwork.

Despite Lineker's best efforts and improved performance, Fabricio Andrade was declared the winner after his compatriot's corner stopped the fight after the fourth round.

In an interview with ONE Championship, John Lineker spoke about the aspects of the fight where he could have done better, especially pointing out the effectiveness of his opponent’s jabs:

“I think I needed less jabs to the face [laughs], because my face ended up getting pretty swollen and I started to lose my vision. Then, unfortunately, the fight had to be stopped.”

Whilst the world championship may now belong to a man whom he has faced twice inside the circle, Lineker proved on February 24 that he is still a force to be reckoned with in the bantamweight division and that his best days aren’t behind him yet.

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Fabricio Andrade and John Lineker share a moment at the end of their world title showdown

As everyone tuning in to ONE Fight Night 7 expected, Fabricio Andrade and John Lineker put on another certified classic in the main event on February 24.

With both men displaying their incredible skill, heart and toughness, neither came out of the fight losing any stock and lived up to their reputation for being two of the most exciting fighters on the ONE Championship roster.

Lineker and Andrade have been locked into an intense rivalry ever since the build-up to their first fight at ONE on Prime Video 3. Whilst the war of words, particularly on Andrade’s side, started early on, things really began to heat up after their first fight ended in a no-contest.

After sharing another four rounds inside the circle with one another, both men showed respect to each other. Whilst their rivalry may not be entirely put to bed, for the time being, the two can show appreciation for one another.

In a video posted on ONE Championship’s Instagram, former world champion John Lineker congratulated Andrade after 'Wonder Boy' became the new bantamweight world champion.

"Nothing but respect 🙏 @fabricioandrade1 @johnlinekermma #ONEFightNight7"