When the clash between ONE Bantamweight World Champion John “Hands of Stone” Lineker and top-ranked contender Fabricio “Wonder Boy” Andrade was announced for ONE Fight Night 3: De Ridder vs. Abdulaev in October, a lot of people instantly said it would be fight of the year.
One of those people was newly crowned ONE Flyweight World Champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson.
Johnson bared that he’s actually a big fan of Andrade, the Brazilian who has taken ONE Championship by storm since making his promotional debut in 2020.
“Fabricio Andrade, he’s f****** good. That fight is going to be sick between him and John Lineker,” Johnson told ONEFC.com.
Andrade has been nothing short of unstoppable since he entered ONE two years ago. He racked up five straight wins in the promotion, with four coming by finishes.
His latest conquest came after stopping red-hot Kwon Won Il this past June, folding the Korean with a liver kick and subsequently getting his shot at Lineker.
“I really like Andrade. I really, really do. I think it’s the way he comes out and fights. He pushes the pace, he takes risks. I think that fight against John Lineker is going to be a great fight,” Johnson said.
But he’s not discounting Lineker in this fight. In fact, it’s quite the contrary.
Johnson knows that the Brazilian also has that match-stopping power in his hands, which could decide the outcome of the fight.
“I think it’s going to come down to when John Lineker’s going to land his punches, right? He’s going to land his big punches,” he said.
“Obviously, he has the power to knock out anybody, so it’s going to come down to whether Fabricio Andrade can, one, take the power, and two, utilize John Lineker’s big swings.”
Will Andrade be able to handle Lineker’s pressure and land some power shots of his own? Only time will tell. Johnson, though, doesn’t expect this one to go the distance.
“I think if Fabricio Andrade gets busy moving, has good footwork, good movement, and good feints, he could really draw out some of Lineker’s big shots. But I know someone’s going to get knocked down in that fight. That’s all I can say,” he said.
In the meantime, the next big Filipino superstar is set to be revealed at ONE Warrior Series Philippines, which airs every Sunday beginning on 18 September at 9:35 p.m. on GTV, watch.onefc.com, and the ONE Super App.
Replays and recaps of each show will air on the ONE Championship Philippines Facebook page.
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