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Fabricio Andrade Enters Top 5, Eyeing Lineker’s Bantamweight Belt

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Fabricio Andrade has lit up ONE Championship since arriving onto its global stage, and now the rising contender is targeting the newly minted ONE Bantamweight World Champion, John Lineker.

Following Lineker’s win over Bibiano Fernandes at ONE: Lights Out, Andrade took to Twitter to state his case.

Fabricio Andrade Enters Rankings, Eyes Gold

In his first tweet, Andrade noted that the two stars share the same record in ONE. They are both 4-0 with three finishes under their belt.

Lineker bested Muin Gafurov in his promotional debut before going on to finish his next three opponents en route to the title. “Hands Of Stone” beat former divisional king Kevin Belingon, American Troy Worthen, and took the throne from Fernandes.

Andrade made his debut with a submission win over Mark Abelardo before Shoko Sato took him to the limit. However, his last two bouts, against Li Kai Wen and Jeremy Pacatiw, resulted in first-round finishes.

In a follow-up tweet by the Brazilian, Andrade noted the updated ONE athlete rankings, which features him as the #4-ranked title contender. But he had a little fun with the graphic by changing the photos of Lineker and the other contenders to chickens while putting a king’s crown atop his headshot.

A prospective meeting between the two Brazilians is an enticing matchup, and Andrade is angling for his first shot at gold.

Given their recent performances, Andrade could be positioning himself as the most attractive dance partner. But Kwon Won Il and Stephen Loman, the #2 and #3-ranked contenders, may have a little something to say about that.

The Next Man Up

The bantamweight division is already heating up with Lineker taking control of the mantle. The bullseye is officially on his back, and Andrade is the first to bring out the arrows.

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Jeremy Brand is an experienced MMA writer and columnist. He is the founder of MMASucka.com, and has represented the company with media credentials at many mixed martial arts fights. Jeremy is also a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, training in BC, Canada.

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