Fabricio Andrade is declaring himself the uncrowned ONE bantamweight world champion. Though his fight with John Lineker ended in a no contest, ‘Wonder Boy’ emerged from the fight as the No.1 contender.
Though it was Andrade who landed the unintentional foul that caused a stop to the world title fight, his performance spoke for itself. Undefeated in ONE Championship, Andrade once again raised his game and dominated the majority of the contest.
Due to Lineker being stripped of his title on the scales, the world championship is now vacant, with Fabricio Andrade in pole position to dictate what happens next.
Though a rematch with John Lineker is already scheduled for ONE on Prime Video 7 on February 10, ‘Wonder Boy’ is already looking at where more potential challengers may come from.
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ONE on Prime Video 4 features a big fight in the division between former champion Bibiano Fernandes and Stephen Loman. Andrade spoke about the stakes of this fight in an interview with The MMA Superfan:
“If he wins, if he beats Loman, then he’s the guy to fight. I think it all depends how his next fight plays out. He’s not young anymore but if he still wants to fight, let's see how he does. If he wins the fight then I would fight him.”
Watch the full interview clip below:
“I don’t want to be taken down” - Fabricio Andrade plans on fixing the holes in his game
Fabricio Andrade is one of the most exciting fighters to watch in ONE Championship. His precise striking has made him one of the most talked about rising superstars in MMA, specifically when he put his skills on display against John Lineker at ONE on Prime Video 3.
After his fight with Lineker, which only became competitive once the former champion was able to take ‘Wonder Boy’ down, Fabricio Andrade said in the same interview about working on his ability to stay on his feet:
“I don’t want to be taken down and give them the opportunity to take me down. It’s not because they’re good wrestlers, but because I made a mistake.”
With three months to prepare for his rematch with Lineker, stopping his takedowns will no doubt be a big part of his training camp. Andrade vs. Lineker 2 was recently announced for this coming February at ONE on Prime Video 7, where the vacant bantamweight title will be on the line once again.
The February 2023 event will take place in Indonesia and, like this Friday’s ONE on Prime Video 4 card, will air live and for free on Amazon Prime Video for subscribers in North America.
Watch the full interview below: