'Wonder Boy' Fabricio Andrade and 'Hands of Stone' John Lineker finally settled their differences in ONE Championship. After a grueling back-and-forth war, the two celebrated and ended their quarrel while both in the hospital.
The two Brazilian athletes went to war in 2022 after months of trash talk. With an inconclusive finish, Andrade and Lineker ran it back once again with more vitriol. Finally, the 25-year-old Andrade was able to defeat Lineker via TKO by way of corner stoppage. In doing so, 'Wonder Boy' was able to earn the vacant ONE bantamweight crown.
After the bout, the two Brazilians showed the utmost respect for one another in the hospital following their ONE Fight Night 7 main event. John Lineker's manager Alex Davis shared on Twitter:
"Some criticism about having stopped liniker x Andrade. It was a hard to do, specially it being a title fight. Both johns eyes were closed, I had to take that dec. Safety comes first. Congrats to both men & to Fabricio for winning the title! oss!"
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From the hospital bed, the newly crowned ONE bantamweight world champion shared:
"Dream come true."
Fabricio Andrade wants Stephen Loman next
The newly crowned bantamweight king is wasting no time in lining up his next match. Fabricio Andrade was able to capture the ONE bantamweight world championship and then called out the next contender, 'The Sniper' Stephen Loman.
In his post-fight speech, Andrade declared:
“We already got a contender in line. [Stephen] Loman, you want this? Come and get it.”
The Filipino is the No.3-ranked contender in the bantamweight division and is riding an impressive 11-fight win streak. He has defeated notable fighters such as Bibiano Fernandes, Shoko Sato, and Yusup Saadulaev.
Stephen Loman's challenge for the bantamweight world title against Fabricio Andrade is a match that fans are already looking forward to. Andrade will need some recovery time and the two will likely have a showdown later in 2023.
Earlier this year, Stephen Loman discussed how much he respects Fabricio Andrade. While speaking with The MMA Superfan in an interview, 'The Sniper' explained:
“He’s Brazil’s answer to Conor McGregor, not just because he can expertly trash talk his opponents, but also because he is very precise with his striking. His timing is spot on, and he has excellent power.”
Catch the full interview below: