John Lineker Dissects Loss To Fabricio Andrade, Talks New Title Charge

After rocketing to the pinnacle of ONE Championship’s bantamweight division, knockout artist John Lineker now finds himself back amongst the hungry contenders of the stacked weight class, and he’s ready to kick start another run at the ONE Title.

“Hands of Stone” will hope to do so when he takes on divisional newcomer and former featherweight standout Kim Jae Woong at ONE Fight Night 13 on Saturday, 5th August.

Lineker experienced the bitter taste of defeat for the first time since 2019 when he last stepped into action in ONE, losing out to heated rival Fabricio Andrade in their battle for the vacant ONE Bantamweight Championship this past February.

Having been stripped of the belt for failing to make weight ahead of his first meeting with Andrade last October, Lineker was gunning to recapture the crown he never truly lost.

But it was not to be against “Wonderboy,” who forced the Brazilian veteran to quit in the fourth round.

Looking back on the contest, Lineker said:

“In my fight with Fabrício Andrade, the strategy was to go for striking and sometimes take the fight to the ground. But it felt a little difficult in the ring. And at the end of the rounds, I ended up getting a little tired.

“That’s when he started to connect the jabs. I think what bothered me was that, the fact that I got tired at the end of the rounds and couldn’t catch him at the beginning of the rounds.

“Fabrício is a very tough guy. [He’s] very experienced, very technical, and he played his game, connecting the straight shots and ended up hurting me to the point where I couldn’t see anymore.”

Ahead of his return, Lineker feels ready to launch himself back into contention for the coveted bantamweight crown, and he doesn’t care who he has to face to get there.

Kim should offer him a decent challenge, but “Hands of Stone” just wants to stay active and get back to where he once was.

“What excites me the most about this fight, regardless of the opponent, is that I have the opportunity to get back in the game and pursue my goal, which is to fight for the title again,” Lineker said.

“I think that whatever fight I do from now on, what will excite and motivate me is this opportunity to seek the title again. So, regardless of the opponent, my goal is to fight for the title again.”