John Lineker says lack of movement caused TKO loss to Fabricio Andrade

Knockout artist John Lineker was stopped in his ONE bantamweight world championship fight against 'Wonder Boy' Fabricio Andrade. The heady-handed Brazilian believes his stiffness was the key to his loss.

While reflecting on his ONE Fight Night 7 on Prime Video main event showdown, 'Hands of Stone' spoke with ONE Championship and said:

"I should have moved more, worked more on dodges, movement and footwork, so as not to be so exposed and receiving so many blows. But, as I said, at the end of every round I would get tired and slower, and at that time his strikes were coming in. But I'm happy with what I managed to do."

In addition to the lack of movement, Lineker also credits his opponents' jab as a game-changing move which made a major difference. He added:

“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.”

'Hands of Stone' absorbed multiple strikes from his younger opponent Fabricio Andrade. Between the fourth and fifth rounds, Lineker’s corner called for a stoppage and Andrade was officially declared the winner via TKO.

As a result, 'Wonder Boy' is the new ONE bantamweight world champion.

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John Lineker congratulates Fabricio Andrade

A victory over John Lineker was a career highlight for Fabricio Andrade. In addition to capturing the vacant ONE bantamweight world title, he was able to stop a former titleholder.

MMA veteran John Lineker spoke to his opponent after the match. Recalling his words post-fight, Lineker said:

“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.”

'Wonder Boy' will now turn his attention to the dangerous contenders of the bantamweight division. It seems likely that his next opponent will be 'The Sniper' Stephen Loman, who is fresh off of a victory against Bibiano Fernandes.