At ONE Fight Night 7, Fabricio Andrade claimed the ONE Bantamweight World Championship against John Lineker. The new ONE Championship king pummeled Lineker for four full rounds, leaving him unable to answer the call for the final five minutes. But the gruelling battle took its toll on the 25-year-old as well.
Following the event, Andrade has had time to rest and reflect on his championship victory. After being used to quick fights under the bright lights, the Brazilian star was pushed into the championship rounds for the first time. And that is just a tiny reason he is proud of his showing inside Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.
“I thought my performance was very good. It was a very tough fight, where I needed to go into deep water. Lineker is the guy who’s given me the most trouble in ONE. And it was the first time I fought until the fourth round. I was prepared to fight the five rounds, so I think I had a great performance,” Andrade told ONE.
Ahead of the rematch, Andrade was emphatic with how he thought he dominated the first meeting against “Hands of Stone.” But after the second encounter, Andrade developed more respect for his fellow countryman. Lineker endured a lot of punishment but never stopped moving forward, and it gave Andrade new respect for one of the most exciting men in the game.
“If there was something that surprised me in this fight, without a doubt, it was his power to absorb blows. There was a moment in the fight when I landed 10 consecutive strikes on his face – strikes that would normally knock out any athlete, and he didn’t go down. This left me quite impressed,” said “Wonder Boy.”
The two warriors exchanged words after the match inside the ring. However, that was not the only time the two had a chance to share a moment of their mutual respect for one another. Later that night, they met at the hospital, where both men were transported following their epic encounter.
“We were both badly hurt and ended up in the hospital. We met there quickly and we only took a photo. I was medicated, so I was already on another planet (laughs). And the result of the exams only showed that I broke a finger and will have to stay out of work for a few months,” said the 25-year-old.
Even though Andrade is healing from the title victory, the ONE Bantamweight World Champion is already looking toward his first title defense. In the immediate aftermath of ONE Fight Night 7, Andrade called for Stephen Loman to get the first crack at the gold. And that is precisely who he still expects to square off against later this year.
And for good reason. The Team Lakay star has looked outstanding since arriving in ONE and is coming off a dominant unanimous decision win over Bibiano Fernandes. As Andrade plans to be active as a champion to assert himself as the best in the world, he is ready to show it against the fast-rising Filipino star.
“I intend to fight as soon as possible, but it will depend on my recovery. I will do everything to recover quickly from this hand injury to get back up in the ONE Circle. And next in line is Stephen Loman. So he can start training now,” said Andrade.
Exciting times ahead!
