“This Fight Will Show That He Didn’t Beat Me” – John Lineker Fired Up to Prove to Fabricio Andrade Who’s the Real Bantamweight King

John “Hands Of Stone” Lineker didn’t quite have the evening he envisioned in his last outing inside the Circle. But the former ONE Bantamweight World Champion is ready to right those mistakes at ONE Fight Night 7. Lineker runs it back with top-ranked contender Fabricio “Wonder Boy” Andrade in the main event of the bill, set to go down at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium on Friday, February 24. 

“When I close my eyes, I see myself imposing my game, going up all the time, nonstop. And that’s what will happen. I’m training for this,” he shared. “One thing I never do in a fight is back off. I’m going to press all the time, and I’m going to do what I know how to do best, which is to fight.”

The first bout against Fabricio Andrade didn’t go the way John Lineker had hoped

In the first duel, the 32-year-old was forced to drop his divisional crown a day before their contest after failing to meet the 145lbs mark. The very next day, there was more misery for “Hands of Stone.”

Lineker failed to put his typical aggression and knockout power to good use against a fierce and pacy Andrade. The latter, on the other hand, put one of his best performances inside the Circle, stinging Lineker during multiple exchanges with his combinations.

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Unfortunately, a low blow from “Wonder Boy,” meant that the bout ended in a no-contest. Despite the ending, the American Top Team representative gained useful knowledge from the first encounter. And he plans to use it against Andrade’s advantage when they meet later this month.

Lineker had done his homework to regain the ONE Bantamweight World Championship

“I noticed some gaps in [Andrade’s] 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,” Lineker offered. “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.”

Besides wanting to regain his status as the ONE Bantamweight World Champion, the knockout specialist hopes to eliminate any doubts that he ‘lost’ the first meeting with “Wonder Boy.”

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“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,” he added.