Fabricio Andrade (9-2) capped his incredible rise to MMA superstardom by capturing the vacant ONE bantamweight world title this past Friday, February 24.
“Wonder Boy” was triumphant in his rematch against heated rival John Lineker (35-10) in the ONE Fight Night 7 headliner, as the former bantamweight king was unable to answer the bell for the fifth and final round.
With both of their fighter’s eyes swollen shut, Lineker’s cornermen waved the match off to avoid any further punishment. What followed were emotional scenes as an elated Andrade celebrated the beginning of his reign as world champion.
But how did the Brazilian superstar do it? We break down exactly how the bantamweight strap finally arrived with its rightful owner.
That jab, though!
Any pre-fight breakdown would likely have highlighted the jab as key to Andrade’s chances – and so it was.
Andrade was clearly the taller man, and he used the jab to great effect. The 25-year-old not only used the weapon as a range-finder, but he also peppered Lineker at will with the punch and the accuracy of his shots caused a lot of the fight-ending damage to the eyes of his foe.
Everything Andrade threw came from behind his jab, and it allowed him to set the tempo of the contest – particularly in the opening two rounds.
In fact, “Wonder Boy” even appeared to wobble Lineker in the dying embers of the opening frame.
Staying out of danger
Aside from the jab, Andrade used lateral movement and diligent head movement to avoid the danger that comes from Lineker’s heavy “Hands of Stone.”
It’s inevitable – when standing toe-to-toe with a world-class opponent – that a fighter will get caught at some point. Andrade was no exception at ONE Fight Night 7, but the new champion was scarcely caught flat-footed.
Most importantly, Andrade stayed disciplined and refused to get sucked into a brawl with one of the most fearsome power-punchers on the ONE Championship roster.
Scramble like the world title depends on it
Lineker tried to flip the script in the early going.
“Hands of Stone” attempted to take the action to the ground in the first round, which likely came as somewhat of a surprise to those in attendance – not the least of which was Andrade. But “Wonder Boy” refused to accept the takedown, and he scrambled well to keep the fight standing.
The threat of a takedown appeared to slow Andrade’s momentum a little bit, but he never succumbed to his compatriot’s advances and mostly kept the fight upright.
He has come too far to be denied
Andrade’s rise from poverty to world title challenger was well documented before the fight.
Though he was forced to wait four months after their first battle ended in a no contest, “Wonder Boy” made the most of his second opportunity. The Brazilian diligently stuck to his game plan during the match, where others have melted under the pressure from Lineker.
There was scarcely a dry eye in the house as the new ONE bantamweight world champion held the 26-pound golden belt aloft.
It was evident how much the victory meant to Andrade and given what he has triumphed over in life, it would have taken something special to stop him from claiming the bantamweight crown.
