The One Championship bantamweight throne sits vacant—for now.
Fabricio Andrade connected with an accidental knee strike to the groin that resulted in a no contest against John Lineker in the third round of their ONE on Prime Video 3 headliner on Friday at Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Lineker (35-9, 4-0 ONE), who was stripped of the 145-pound title prior to the match due to his failure to make weight, was unable to continue 2:44 into Round 3.
Andrade (8-2, 5-0 ONE) appeared to be nearing a career-defining victory at the time of the foul. The Marrok Force export operated behind a punishing jab, incorporated clean one-twos and zeroed in on the body with knees. Lineker gained the occasional foothold with winging hooks and well-timed takedowns but absorbed significant damage for his trouble. He rose from his corner for the start of Round 3 with a massive hematoma beneath his left eye, his vision almost certainly compromised. Andrade continued to pop his jab, doubled over his countryman with a brutal knee to the solar plexus and fired another behind it. The strike landed below the belt and dropped Lineker to the canvas in agony, the impact of the blow having cracked his protective cup. It soon became clear that “Hands of Stone” was done for the night.
