ONE Championship: Fabricio Andrade promises to finish ‘easy opponent’ John Lineker in first round

Fabricio Andrade believes he can finish ONE Championship bantamweight king John Lineker – and that he can do it easily.

Brazil’s Andrade, 24, cemented himself as one of the Asian martial arts promotion’s top bantamweights when he stopped fellow contender Kwon Won-il with a kick to the body earlier this month. While nothing has been confirmed just yet, that victory could earn him a crack at his fellow Brazilian Lineker, who knocked out the great Bibiano Fernandes to win the bantamweight belt in March.

The Phuket, Thailand-based Andrade (8-2) has already sized up the 33-year-old champion, and he is not impressed, to say the least.

“This guy can’t touch me,” he told the Post from Thailand on Friday morning. “He’s so small. He can’t touch me. I’m not talking [expletive]. I’m not disrespecting him. I’m saying what I believe: I’m going to finish him in the first round, and that’s a fact.”

Lineker (35-9) is known as one of the most dangerous punchers in MMA, regardless of weight division – a reputation that earned him the nickname “Hands of Stone”. But Andrade, who has competed extensively in Muay Thai and kickboxing, has proven himself as one of the most venomous strikers in the game.

Andrade recognises that Lineker packs some power, but believes his versatility makes him a more dangerous striker than the champion.

“I can punch, I can kick, I can elbow, I can knee, and I’m smart,” he said.

“I can just out-strike him and finish him any time. He’s got nothing. He’s just got hands. What else does John Lineker got? Tell me something else. He’s got nothing. To me, he’s a limited fighter. He’s an easy opponent – easier than Kwon.

“I can finish him, easy, in the first round.”

ONE: Moraes aims to submit ‘Mighty Mouse’ in rematch

Even if Andrade is a better striker than Lineker, that does not guarantee him a victory over the champion in the ONE Circle. While Lineker is not known for his grappling, he has a brown belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu, and has been honing his ground game for far longer than his young rival.

Andrade suspects we will see some of the champion’s grappling if they are locked in the cage together, but is adamant that it will not matter.

“I think if the fight goes longer than two or three minutes of the first round, he’s going to get tired and he’s probably going to shoot some,” he said.

“If he tries to pull me down, it’s going to make the fight a bit longer cause he’s going to keep pulling me down, I’m going to keep standing up, and eventually he’s going to get tired and I’m going to finish him anyway,” Andrade added. “I’m not scared to go to the ground with him.”

Despite being the far less experienced mixed martial artist, Andrade considers himself Lineker’s superior in every aspect of the game. He suspects the champion has a similar perspective on the match-up, which is why it is not yet in the works.

“He knows it. He knows I’m going to finish him, that’s why he’s been avoiding me,” Andrade said. “It’s not about respect. It’s about business. I want the title, he holds the title, and if he keeps quiet, if he keeps hiding himself, it doesn’t look good for him.”

ONE Championship’s Stamp Fairtex promoted to BJJ purple belt

Still, Andrade is optimistic he will receive his long-awaited title shot soon, and kick off a dominant reign as the ONE bantamweight king.

“It’s what I’ve been looking for my whole career,” he said. “I’ve been fighting so much – kickboxing, Muay Thai, everything – and I haven’t been a world champion yet. I think that’s my main goal now. I want to be a world champion now, finally. I’ve been training since I was 13 years old. I have dreamed to be here, to be doing what I’m doing.

“That’s my main goal now, but it’s not going to stop. It’s just the beginning. I’m 24 years old. There’s a lot to happen. It’s going to be amazing for sure.”