John Lineker reveals what he told Fabricio Andrade in the ring after their brutal war

Former world champion John Lineker fell short in his quest to reclaim the ONE bantamweight title but was gracious in defeat.

‘Hands of Stone’ bowed to Fabricio ‘Wonder Boy’ Andrade in their bantamweight world championship clash at ONE Fight Night 7 on Prime Video in February in Bangkok. He lost by technical knockout in the fourth round due to a corner stoppage.

It was very heated between the two fighters in the lead-up to their showdown, a rematch of their first encounter back in October that ended in a no-contest. When the battle-smoke cleared, however, Lineker accepted defeat and gave credit to the new champion.

The veteran Brazilian fighter shared to ONE Championship:

“I thanked him for the great fight we had. I said he deserved to be champion. I told him that he taught me a lot, that he showed me that I need to train more and more. I wished that God would bless him, that he would remain a champion and that he would achieve everything he dreamed of in life.”

John Lineker came in better prepared for the rematch and started the fight strong with solid hits. But Andrade was not deterred and stayed steadfast as the fight progressed. He connected on telling strikes of his own, particularly late in the fourth round where he opened a nasty cut above the right eye of his opponent.

Entering the fifth and final round, John Lineker’s corner saw its fighter was no longer in a position to effectively continue and decided to call it a match.

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Respect earned: Fabricio Andrade and John Lineker bury the hatchet in hospital

Fabricio Andrade and John Lineker had some biting words to say to one another prior to their rematch for the vacant ONE bantamweight world title back in February but showed genuine respect after their grueling battle.

The two proud Brazilian fighters buried the hatchet after seeing a conclusive ending to their bantamweight world championship mix-up at ONE Fight Night 7 on Prime Video in Bangkok, with 'Wonder Boy' Andrade emerging as the new world champion.

Lineker went all-out in their rematch but just could not get over the hump against a durable opponent who showed tremendous toughness on the way to victory.

The fight ended right before the start of the fifth and final round after John Lineker’s corner decided to wave the white flag to protect its fighter, who had already absorbed too much damage at that point.

At the hospital where they were treated as a safety precaution, the two shared a moment together.

John Lineker’s manager, Alex Davis, captured what took place and shared it on Twitter with the caption:

"Some criticism about having stopped Lineker x Andrade. It was a hard [thing] to do, especially it being a title fight. Both of John’s eyes were closed, I had to take that decision. Safety comes first. Congrats to both men & to Fabricio for winning the title! Oss!"