ONE on Prime Video 3 is headlined by a fight fan’s dream – an all-action affair between a grizzled slugger and a dangerous youngster riding an impressive winning streak.
The battle between reigning ONE bantamweight world champion John Lineker (35-9) and hard-hitting challenger Fabricio Andrade (8-2) this Friday has “Fight of the Night” – or even “Fight of the Year” – written all over it.
Let’s take a closer look at this main event showdown and why it has the makings of an instant classic.
1. A clash of striking styles
Both men are elite MMA strikers, so a standup war is essentially guaranteed. But what makes this high-stakes clash so special is that Lineker and Andrade, while both aggressive knockout artists, employ entirely different sets of tools to dismantle their opponents on the feet.
Across his 40-plus professional bouts, “Hands of Stone” has firmly established himself as one of the sport’s most powerful pound-for-pound punchers. The Brazilian loves to wade forward behind a tucked chin, bombing his opponent with wide, looping hooks that carry fight-stopping power. In fact, that power has earned him 17 career knockouts.
Andrade, on the other hand, is an experienced and refined muay Thai stylist, preferring to utilize a full arsenal of kicks, knees, elbows and punches.
It’s this meeting of two styles, polar opposite approaches to striking, that makes for an entertaining battle on the feet.
2. A finisher meets a granite chin
After knocking out each of his last three opponents inside the first round, the 25-year-old Andrade might be the best finisher in ONE Champion’s bantamweight division.
Those finishing abilities will be put to the test against one of MMA’s most reliable chins. Never one to shy away from a brawl, Lineker has taken his fair share of punishment over his 14-year career. Impressively, though, he has never once been knocked out, despite going toe-to-toe with a number of MMA’s best strikers.
Andrade’s devastating muay Thai and prodigious finishing abilities will run into the defending world champion’s granite chin like an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object.
Look for the young Brazilian to have his mettle tested if, and when, Lineker doesn’t easily go away. And with 25 minutes to work, “Wonder Boy” will have plenty of chances to secure the finish he’ll undoubtedly be hunting for.
3. The judging criteria
Importantly, this world title affair will be conducted under the Global Martial Arts Rule Set, which judges fights on a whole, rather than round-by-round. This is particularly relevant in five-round matches where combatants can “steal” a fight with one massive, near-fight-ending moment.
In practice, this means that both fighters have a stronger incentive to take risks in order to secure a finish.
This is good news – not just to the fans, but also to a fighter like Lineker, who often faces opponents looking to take him down for just enough of the round to win it. But in ONE Championship, this type of strategy won’t be rewarded.
Instead, fans can expect to see Andrade and Lineker both searching for the knockout for the entirety of the contest, knowing that they can’t afford to take a round off or coast to a decision win.
