ONE bantamweight championship: John Lineker vs Fabricio Andrade II set for ONE Fight Night 7
Former UFC flyweight and bantamweight contender John Lineker has been making some serious noise since joining the ONE Championship roster in 2019, where he’s since gone undefeated through five fights.
For starters, Lineker went 6-2 in the UFC’s flyweight division (where he defeated former title challenger Ian McCall, UD) before moving up to 135 lbs, where he also went 6-2, most notably defeating top contenders Rob Font (UD) and Marlon Vera (UD). He also defeated former title challengers Michael McDonald (KO) and John Dodson (SD) in that time, the only defeats coming to former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw (UD) and top five talent Cory Sandhagen (SD).
Following the razor-thin split decision defeat to Sandhagen, Lineker would move over to ONE Championship, where he first defeated Muin Gafurov (15-2, UD), before stopping former ONE bantamweight champion Kevin Belingon (20-7, TKO) and Troy Worthen (7-1, KO).
This third-straight victory would set the Brazilian knockout artist up for a title clash with longtime ONE bantamweight champion Bibiano Fernandes.
Fernandes had held the title for nine years at the point he fought Lineker, going 11-1 in that time. The only defeat came via split decision to Kevin Belingon, who he’d previously defeated, and defeated in back-to-back fights following, putting Fernandes up 3-1 in their series.
However, Lineker would KO the 24-4 Fernandes in round two. Fernandes was 23-2 in his last 25 coming in (or 16-1 in his last 17 having avenged the only defeat), and Lineker became just the second man to ever finish him behind former WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber.
Lineker’s first title defense came against Fabricio Andrade, who was 8-2 as a professional on a seven-fight win streak coming in. Andrade, like Lineker, is a lethal knockout artist that was coming off three-straight knockout victories, and he’d also gone 20-3 in professional kickboxing.
But, unfortunately for Lineker, his old habits would follow him into this fight as he missed weight for the sixth time in his career. Lineker has missed weight at 125 lbs, 135 lbs, and now 145 lbs.
Along with that, the fight ended in a no contest midway through round three due to an accidental groin strike that rendered Lineker unable to continue.
Therefore, there’s been an immediate rematch scheduled between Lineker and Andrade for February 25, 2023 at ONE Fight Night 7, going down live from the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Who wins this epic ONE bantamweight championship rematch next month?
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