By Jun Ray Navarres
Stephen Loman will surely keep a keen eye on the upcoming clash between the top two bantamweight fighter for the vacant weight division World Championship seat.
After an unfortunate no-contest fight last October 2022 in Malaysia, Fabricio Andrade and John Lineker are set for a highly anticipated rematch at ONE Fight Night 7 on Prime Video on February 25 (Manila time) at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
And arguably being the one who will challenge the victor, no. 3-ranked Loman is already doing his assignment.
While the two Brazilian are confident with their striking, the Team Lakay rising star places his bet on Andrade’s striking versatility over Lineker’s “Hands of Stone”.
“I think that he (Fabricio Andrade) really is a KO artist. He uses his striking a lot, his kicks, knees, and his pressure against Lineker was tremendous as well. He has these quick and beautiful combinations as well,” shared Loman.
“I think that’s Andrade’s advantage. He’s a problem for John Lineker.”
Indeed, Andrade’s striking was on full display in his first duel with the fellow Brazilian.
Andrade went on a tear in his first fight against Lineker for the vacant bantamweight strap, but his night ended when he accidentally landed a knee strike down Lineker’s groin in the third round.
Lineker was not able to return past the mandatory recovery period and the bout was ruled as no-contest.
With the ONE Bantamweight World Championship title on the line, the match-up remained at a fever pitch and the winner will also scratch the perfect record of the other fighter.
Their match at ONE Fight Night 7 will bear witness to someone losing that precious zero beside their names.
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