ONE Fight Night 7: John Lineker Believes He Has Fabricio Andrade Worked Out Ahead Of World Title Rematch

Singapore, January 31: Former ONE Bantamweight World Champion John Lineker is not buying the narrative that his heated rival Fabricio Andrade has his number. In fact, he feels that the reality is quite the opposite.

"Hands of Stone" will rematch Andrade for the vacant ONE Bantamweight World Title in the main event of ONE Fight Night 7 on February 25 at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand - and he's out for a scalp following the controversial finish to their first encounter.

Proceedings were brought to an abrupt end when "Wonder Boy" landed an accidental low blow on Lineker in the third round of their World Title tussle at ONE on Prime Video 3 in October, leading the bout to be ruled a no contest, and the belt to be left vacant.

The unfortunate strike came after two rounds of what appeared to be dominant action from Andrade. Many believed the 25-year-old was mere moments away from finishing Lineker and claiming the belt.

When reflecting on the battle and after watching the tape, the former titleholder doesn't see it that way, however. Although he admits that he gave his rival too much room to play, "Hand of Stone" is adamant that the damage he incurred wasn't as bad as it looked overall.

"I watched my fight against him again. Inside the cage, it's one thing. Watching it on TV you have another vision. The fact is that I let him land a lot of jabs, which ended up hurting my face a lot. I wasn't feeling his punches so much. I wasn't afraid of his punches, so I took those jabs and ended up getting a pretty bruised face," Lineker said.

"But other than that, the only thing that hurt was the knee to the rib, and then he landed the knee in my groin. If it weren't for that illegal move, he would have had to fight me for five rounds. And it would be a war until the end."

ONE Fight Night 7: Fabricio Andrade promises to finish John Lineker in Bantamweight title rematch

Lineker learned plenty about Andrade's game in their previous meeting, having been on the receiving end of some of his top-drawer techniques.

He credits "Wonder Boy" for certain aspects of his fight approach but believes he has figured out a way to impose his own ruthless power in the highly anticipated rematch.

"I certainly noticed some gaps in his game. I also noticed his strengths. So, in some way, it will help, and I certainly won't take as many hits as I did in the last fight. So, the fact that I've already fought him, I believe it can help with some aspects of the fight, like his movement and attacks," he said.

Lineker lost his bantamweight strap ahead of the first showdown due to the fact that he missed weight.

And while some experts have suggested that Andrade gained the upper hand last time out, the former divisional king insists he was not beaten and has yet to lose the World Title inside the Circle.

"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," Lineker said.

Source: Media Release