'Hands of Stone' John Lineker is adding more tools to his already-highly dangerous MMA game.
On Instagram, ONE Championship recently shared a video of the ONE bantamweight world champion throwing precise and sharp elbows on the pads in training:
"The ONE Bantamweight World Champion is SLICING through."
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The 32-year-old Brazilian made his debut in ONE Championship in 2019. The fighter, well-known for his thunderous punching power, has won three of his four fights in ONE via KO/TKO. He is now looking to add a step-through elbow to his repertoire of knockout strikes.
The high point of Lineker's career came earlier this year when he stopped then-ONE bantamweight titleholder Bibiano Fernandes. Brazil's Fernandes set the record for most title defenses in ONE Championship history prior to being dethroned.
'Hands of Stone' earned the title and a highlight-reel finish by knocking out the now-former bantamweight king in round two.
John Lineker and his next contender
Lineker appears to have his next contender already lined up. Fabricio Andrade is on a mighty knockout win streak in the division and has set himself up to be the next man to fight for the bantamweight throne.
In an interview with SCMP MMA, Brazil's Andrade said:
“He [John Lineker] can’t touch me… He’s 159 [lbs]. Like, he’s so small… I’m not just talking sh*t, I’m not disrespecting him. I’m saying what I believe: I’m gonna finish him in the first round, and that’s a fact. He knows it. He knows that I’m gonna finish him. That’s why he’s avoiding me.”
Catch the interview below:
Lineker responded in an interview with ONE, saying that he is not too impressed by the work of his compatriot:
“To be very honest, I started to follow Fabrício just recently. What I saw in this fight [against Kwon] is that he knows how to focus. He managed to impose his strategy. I wasn’t impressed because he got a knockout. That can happen in [any] fight, especially between strikers. He’s a good fighter, but he didn’t impress me at all.”
The matchup between 'Hands of Stone' John Lineker and 'Wonder Boy' Fabricio Andrade is not yet official. However, it will likely take place later this year or early 2023.