John Lineker Vows To Let Hands Do Dirty Work Against Vocal Challenger

John Lineker is ready to walk through whatever Fabricio Andrade throws his way in their grudge match on the morning of October 22 (October 21 in the United States).

The hard-hitting Brazilian puts the ONE bantamweight championship on the line against his compatriot in the main event of ONE Prime Video 3, which emanates from the 16,000-seater Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

"Hands Of Stone" believes that his world title defense versus a fellow knockout artist has all the ingredients for an exciting battle, and it is one that he has been looking forward to since 2019 when he first joined the organization.

"I won't hold back because now I'm the champion. I'm going to get in the Circle, and I'm going to do what I know how to do best, which is to put on a show and go forward all the time," Lineker said in a recent interview.

"Of course, the belt is important. It was a very important achievement in my career, but my goal is always to get in there, have a fun fight, and put on a great show."

Both men will have the opportunity to settle their differences after months of trading barbs on social media and in interviews.

Andrade has been in hot pursuit of a cage date with Lineker following his knockout victory over Kwon Won Il, which saw him solidify his chances of competing for the gold-plated belt.

Without a thought, Andrade called out Lineker in his post-fight interview and even went so far as to call the champion a "chicken."

Lineker was certainly not a fan of Andrade's method of getting under his skin.

"None of that bothers me. I take it all in my stride. I think talking is nonsense, we have to resolve it inside the Circle," Lineker shared.

"In fact, any opponent who talks nonsense about me only motivates me. I'm more motivated to get into the Circle and do my best. So, opponents who do this kind of trash talk end up regretting it later, because instead of irritating me, they are motivating me even more," he continued.

"I'm going to show him that you don't win by talking, but by showing what you're good at inside the Circle."

Armed with the knowledge that Andrade seeks to make a statement at his expense, Lineker won't be rolling the dice in their scheduled five-round encounter.

"[Andrade's] Muay Thai is excellent, he's a great fighter, but I have boxing that scares opponents, especially because of the [power in] my hands. So, which one is better, I don't know. I don't like to keep comparing, but I believe in my potential. I know I'm good at what I do," he declared.

"This fight will definitely have a lot of striking, and it will be very exciting. He's going to want to kick me a lot and come in with his knee, but I'm prepared for anything, both striking and on the ground. I see myself finishing him off in the third round."

Andrade's talent is undeniable as his seven-fight winning streak already speaks for itself, notwithstanding the way he quickly dismantles his opponents.

Since having his promotional debut under the ONE Championship banner, he has only gone past the first round twice–those two being in his debut against Mark Abelardo in July 2020 and against Shoko Sato in January 2021.

Though Andrade poses a legitimate threat to spoil Lineker's plan to extend his reign over the 65.7-kilogram weight class, the latter is confident that he has the right tools and a sound game plan to triumph.

"I think that will be a very difficult thing for him to achieve. He won't knock me out in any round. I'm a very tough fighter. It's not enough for my opponent to beat me. He has to kill me if he wants to beat me," the champion stressed.

"So, I warn him to forget about it because he won't knock me out in any round. He'll just keep it in his imagination because it sure as hell won't happen in real life."