Several ONE Championship Stars Lean On John Lineker To Win Over Fabricio Andrade

Two of the most hard-hitting mixed martial artists in ONE Championship's bantamweight division are set to throw down in the cage.

John Lineker puts his world title on the line against Brazilian compatriot and fellow knockout artist Fabricio Andrade in the main event of ONE on Prime Video 3, which emanates from the 16,000-capacity Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Lineker has been a force to be reckoned with ever since he directed his career path to the promotion in 2019, going undefeated in his last four assignments.

The 32-year-old UFC veteran achieved his lifelong dream of becoming a world champion in the sport when he ousted longtime ruler Bibiano Fernandes from this throne by way of second-round knockout this past March.

As the 65.8-kilogram weight class crowned a new kingpin, a young and fearless contender emerged from a shark tank of hungry talents who are driven by the same desire to possess the gold-plated belt.

Andrade has established himself as one of the most exciting competitors to watch in the organization's wide stable of bantamweights courtesy of his high-octane fighting style.

In just two years, "Wonder Boy" has jotted down the names of Mark Abelardo, Shoko Sato, Li Kai Wen, Jeremy Pacatiw and Kwon Won Il into his list of victims.

Ahead of their highly-anticipated showdown, some of ONE Championship's biggest stars and personalities make their respective predictions.

Fernandes believes that the signature work rate of Andrade will be enough to trump Lineker and cut his reign as champion short.

"I'm going with Fabricio because he's more like an MMA guy, and he moves a lot," he said in a recent interview.

Meanwhile, ONE lightweight titleholder Christian Lee is leaning towards the dreaded punching power of Lineker to get the job done.

"I think John Lineker will win because they're both good strikers, but John has heavier hands," Lee stated.

Arjan Bhullar—the reigning ONE heavyweight champion—echoed Lee's sentiment but gave Andrade a puncher's chance.

"Lineker relies on his power to get his opponents out of there. When he lands clean, it's a problem. I'm picking Lineker, but Andrade has a real chance. Power doesn't mean anything if [Andrade] can neutralize the delivery system," Bhullar argued.

On the other hand, Filipino MMA superstar Eduard Folayang feels the sizable gap in terms of experience will spell the difference and will favor Lineker in the scheduled five-round encounter.

"If you look at Andrade, almost all of his fights were one-sided. He was truly dominant. Lineker, on the other hand, has been tested quite a bit," Folayang stressed.

"I think Lineker still has the advantage. He's faced the tougher opponents between the two of them. He has also experienced being hit and getting right back [into the fight]. So, because of his experience and durability, I'm still siding with Lineker."

If Folayang thinks Lineker's experience will play an integral role, his teammate and the Brazilian's former foe in Kevin Belingon believes otherwise.

"They both have the knockout power, and I like the energy of John. But I would pick Fabricio to win this bout because of his speed and reach advantage," the ex-ONE bantamweight titlist mentioned.

Another Team Lakay standout in the form of Stephen Loman picked Lineker to walk away with his hand raised in a manner that "Hands Of Stone" is known for.

"I think Lineker has the advantage in that match. We've seen in his last match against Bibiano that he can come back strong even after getting knocked down. As a former boxer, Lineker's hands are really heavy, and I think that's his most obvious advantage in that matchup," Loman explained.

"This will be a five-round contest, so I think both fighters will be smart about their approach. I think in the first and second rounds, they will be gauging each other's ability and trying to find their timing for that killer blow. Between the third and fourth rounds, I believe one of them will fall down, and I'm leaning more on the idea that Andrade will be the one on the canvas."

However, Marcus "Buchecha" Almeida pointed out that Andrade is a live challenger who should not be overlooked.

"I'm picking Andrade. He has good momentum in his career right now. He is younger and hungrier, and he uses his reach advantage really well. I think these are great advantages in his favor," Almeida cautioned.

Lastly, Team Lakay lynchpin Mark Sangiao reckons that Andrade will need more than one impactful strike to offset the durability of a world-class fighter like Lineker who has never been knocked out ever since turning pro in 2008.

"This match will highlight how good Lineker truly is, but Andrade is really good as well. He finished Kwon and Jeremy [Pacatiw], so what I truly expect is a knockout. I'm saying whoever gets to land first will probably win, but if I'm to predict, I'd still stick with the champion. His chin is tested and we've seen how durable he is," the Team Lakay coach declared.

The preliminary offering of ONE on Prime Video 3 will air live on Amazon Prime Video at 8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PT on Friday, September 30 in the United States.

The main card will follow at 10:00 PM ET/7:00 PM PT.

Fans outside North America will be able to catch ONE on Prime Video 3 on watch.onefc.com, starting at 8:00 AM SGT on Saturday, October 1.