The eyes of the martial arts world will be on ONE Championship this Friday, February 24 when Brazilian knockout artists John “Hands of Stone” Lineker and Fabricio “Wonder Boy” Andrade square off for their highly anticipated World Title rematch.
The two superstars met four months ago at ONE on Prime Video 3, but that bout ended in disappointing fashion when an accidental low blow shattered Lineker’s protective cup, forcing the clash to end in a no-contest. That fight was an absolute barnburner for as long as it lasted, and just moments before he landed the fateful low blow, Andrade seemed to have “Hands of Stone” on his last legs.
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Now, these two rivals are set to battle once again for the vacant ONE Bantamweight World Title in front of a raucous Thai crowd at the legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium. Ahead of his blockbuster main event, a number of ONE stars weighed in on how they see it playing out in Bangkok, Thailand.
Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida
“I’m really looking forward to seeing this fight between Fabricio and Lineker. [Their first fight] was a wild fight, but it ended up in a no contest. I saw Fabricio’s superiority, and I think he’ll come back even better and come out with the victory. This fight does not end until the end, but I think Fabricio will be the champion.”
Adriano Moraes
“Analyzing the first fight between them, there’s no way to think differently. I believe Fabrício will take the belt home.”
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“By the way, he presented himself in the first fight, he showed that he was very well prepared, that he’s very technical and that he’s not a fool when it comes to ground fighting.”
Jonathan Haggerty
“I feel like Andrade is in Lineker’s head a little bit. Those knees from Andrade were brilliant, but who knows? Lineker might come back with a different game plan, and he’s fought him already now. So, who knows?”
Joshua Pacio
“For me, it depends on whether Lineker can immediately adjust to the style of Andrade. But as of now, Andrade has the advantage and the momentum.“
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“For me, Andrade will get the win by knockout or decision.”
Jeremy Pacatiw
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“I think Fabricio has the mental edge now and his confidence is at an all-time high. He has this mindset now of ‘I wanna kill this guy.’ He’s really pumped up for this fight because maybe he knows that he rightfully deserved to get the win in the first match, but it just ended“
How excited are you about the event? Let us know in the comments below.