WATCH: The emotional moment when Fabricio Andrade was awarded with the ONE bantamweight world title

The drama, training, and fighting is over, and Fabricio Andrade can now call himself a world champion for the first time.

As one of the youngest fighters to currently hold a major world title in MMA, Andrade went to war with John Lineker last Friday for the ONE bantamweight world title. The fight was closely contested in the first half of the fight, which should be recorded by fans and media as a Fight of the Year candidate.

Fabricio Andrade grew in strength as the fight hit the championship rounds, and the damage to Lineker’s face increased every minute. The former world champion’s corner wisely called the fight after round four, crowning Andrade as the undisputed world champion.

Relive the moment Chatri Sityodtong wrapped the belt around Andrade at ONE Fight Night 7, including Andrade’s emotional post-fight interview:

The stoic composure of Fabricio Andrade melted to tears as the gold confetti rained down. All he could say to explain how he felt about becoming a world champion was:

“I have no words to explain what this means to me. It’s been such a long journey.”

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Fabricio Andrade admits that John Lineker “came to fight” in rematch

Before Lineker’s corner called off the fight after twenty minutes of brutal combat, the former world champion Lineker gave Fabricio Andrade all he could manage.

The action never waned through twenty minutes, and John Lineker started the fight off with a bang, taking no time to warm up and staggering Andrade straight away.

The former bantamweight world champion rallied several times throughout the fight and landed several takedowns, despite his inability to hold Andrade down for long.

Andrade gave his opponent his due respect during the in-cage, post-fight interview:

“Man, he came to fight, you know. The first fight, he was scared, but this fight he came to fight. You can see [I took] a lot of damage. It was a good fight and he made it even more worth it to hold this belt. No words, Lineker is one of the toughest bantamweights on the planet but I was like, there’s no way I’m walking out of here without this belt.”

Considering the competitive level the two fights between Fabricio Andrade and John Lineker have been, it’s not out of the question to see the two fight again down the road if Lineker can work his way back into contention.

For now, the two will rest up and await their next challenge inside the ONE circle. Andrade is now one of the youngest fighters to currently hold a belt in a major promotion with the win, while John Lineker suffered his first loss inside the ONE circle.