Four months after their first encounter ended in a no contest due
to an illegal knee, the second battle between Fabricio
Andrade and John
Lineker at
One on Prime Video 7 was definitely worth the price of
admission.
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Just like the first meeting, Andrade used his superior muay thai
and reach advantage to control the distance, eventually hurting
Andrade badly enough to cause manager/cornerman Alex Davis to stop
the fight before the final round. With the victory, Andrade
captured the undisputed One bantamweight title. Despite the high
stakes involved, Davis doesn’t regret his decision.
“I would be a criminal if I allowed my fighter to return with
both eyes closed,” Davis told Sherdog.com. “It was hard to do,
especially with it being a title fight, but I had to take that
decision. Safety comes first.”
Davis’ only regret is that Lineker arrived in Thailand just one
week before the rematch, which was held at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium
in Bangkok.
“From my perspective, what decided the fight was the fact that
Lineker didn’t come to Thailand to get acclimated before,” Davis
said. “If you look at every round, Lineker starts better and
finishes worse. Fabricio lives here. He should have come at least
two weeks before. But we don’t want to take anything from Fabricio.
He is a true champion. In addition to his excellent
technique, his ability to absorb strikes is really amazing.”
Davis says that Lineker will continue his championship dreams
following his latest defeat.
“He is only 32, and even having almost 50 MMA fights, is still in
his prime and will keep chasing the belt,” Davis said. “If Fabricio
keeps the title, you can bet on that trilogy.”
Davis took a picture of Andrade and Lineker sharing a moment in a
Bangkok hospital after the One on Prime Video 7 headliner.
“Fabricio is such an amazing kid, and Lineker just has respect for
him,” Davis said. “It was beautiful to see the respect between them
after delivering a war in the One ring. That’s what the sport is
all about.”