Fabricio Andrade continues to bring the heat with biting pronouncements in the lead-up to his all-Brazilian rematch with John Lineker for the vacant ONE bantamweight world title later this month.
One of the latest of them focuses on how ‘Hands of Stone’ apparently broke their “no takedowns” pact in their first encounter for the world championship last October, which ended in a no-contest.
Fabricio Andrade told SCMP MMA:
“I said if he shoots, he’s a bitch. So we all know he’s a bitch now. It is what it is. It is true, you know, we made a bet and that was the price, and he broke it.”
Watch the full interview below:
Fabricio Andrade was sharp with his striking and was on the inside track to win the vacant ONE bantamweight world title in their first encounter. But amid the punishment he was getting, Lineker still made inroads with his takedowns, which did not sit well with Andrade.
For two and a half rounds, ‘Wonder Boy’ pummeled Lineker but squandered the opportunity when he accidentally struck Lineker in the groin midway through the third round, which eventually led to the fight being ruled a no-contest.
The two top fighters will settle the bantamweight world championship once and for all when they collide anew at ONE Fight Night 7 on Prime Video on February 24. The event will take place at the famed Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, and will be broadcast live and for free to all Prime Video subscribers in North America.
WATCH: Fabricio Andrade shows off variety of strikes against training dummy
Brazilian fighter Fabricio Andrade knew he blew a golden opportunity to be crowned ONE bantamweight world champion last October and is seeking to redeem himself with dogged determination.
‘Wonder Boy’ makes another assault on the bantamweight gold when he reengages with former champion John ‘Hands of Stone’ Lineker at ONE Fight Night 7 on Prime Video on February 24 in Bangkok. The No. 1 contender is laser-focused in his preparation for the rematch that has seen him, among other things, sacrificing some family time for training both in Brazil and in Thailand.
ONE Championship shared a video on Instagram with Andrade showcasing a variety of strikes on a training dummy. The post was captioned:
“Fabricio Andrade works the angles ? ahead of his rematch for the vacant ONE Bantamweight World Title with John Lineker at ONE Fight Night 7 on Prime Video on February 24! ?
Watch the clip below:
Andrade dominated Lineker in their first encounter on October 22 at ONE Prime Video 3. His impressive striking had ‘Hands of Stone’ puzzled and pummeled.
Unfortunately, the fight was ruled a no-contest after ‘Wonder Boy’ connected on an accidental strike in the groin of Lineker in the third round. After being given five minutes to recover, Lineker was declared unable to continue, sending the match to an abrupt end.
Andrade has been on an impressive charge since making his promotional debut in 2020, winning his first five fights before the sorry outcome last time around.
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