“This fight will show that he didn’t beat me” - John Lineker out to prove he didn’t lose to Fabricio Andrade in rematch

The first fight between John Lineker and Fabricio Andrade was equal parts entertaining, disappointing, and overall odd with the weight miss and stripping of the world title from Lineker.

Fan perception is split as to who has the advantage going into the rematch, with Lineker not being beaten in the cage, but Fabricio Andrade landing the higher volume in the fight.

The two fighters have since been forced to live with the awkwardness of the situation as they prepare to settle the score in Bangkok later this month.

John Lineker recently spoke to ONE Championship about the situation and how he feels about who is currently the rightful champion. Here’s what he had to say:

“This fight will show that he didn’t beat me and that he wasn’t the one who took my belt. But like I said, none of us have anything to prove. We’re going to enter the cage, do our best, and in the end, we’ll see who will leave with their arms raised.”

The first test for John Lineker to pass is making weight, after missing weight at their last meeting. The two will then get to end the drama and fight in Bangkok’s Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.

John Lineker and Fabricio Andrade will rematch in the main event of ONE Fight Night 7 on February 24, which will air live and for free to North American fans via Prime Video.

The new environment could prove to add some interesting angles to the fight with the fight taking place in a ring instead of a cage. The wrestling of Lineker- which gave him an element of success in their first fight- could change due to a lack of a cage wall to work against.

In addition, the square shape of the ring could affect the striking exchanges and movement.

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John Lineker still avoiding social media due to fan backlash from weight miss

After John Lineker was stripped of his bantamweight world championship last October, he knew that he had to stay focused and block out the negativity.

Speaking to Sportskeeda MMA about the fight, John Lineker gave a look into his emotions following the fight:

"I tried not to even see the comments. To this day I haven't logged in to see the comments about it. I preferred to focus and correct my mistakes, to show that I'm capable, that what happened was a technical error, a silly mistake on the scales. Now I have the chance to correct that mistake and prove that I can do it. Losing the title messed me up, but now I'm motivated to get back what's mine."

Fans won’t have long to wait to see the rematch, as it goes down in less than two weeks.

The event wasn’t easy to handle, which gives Lineker all the more motivation to set the record straight and prove that not only can he make weight, but that he’s ready to take the belt that was his.