John Lineker.
O
NE bantamweight world champion John Lineker has had to endure a relentless volley of barbs thrown at him by surging phenom Fabricio Andrade ahead of their world title matchup at ONE Fight Night 3, which goes down on Saturday at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Ever since the Brazilian slugger claimed the divisional crown by knocking out Bibiano Fernandes at ONE: LIGHTS OUT this past March, his fiery compatriot has been calling him out online.
Despite all the provocative words coming from “Wonder Boy” – including him claiming Lineker was as a “chicken” – the champ has remained unbothered, preferring to let his actions do the talking when they square off in the much-anticipated main event showdown.
“[He] doesn't bother me at all. If that's the way he likes to promote fights, I like to show it on top of the Circle. I don't like to keep talking. But I can take 'chicken' and use it positively, as if he was calling me a fighting cock, that big rooster. But none of that bothers me. I take it all in stride. I like to get in the cage and show my work. I think talking is nonsense. We have to resolve it inside the Circle,” Lineker said.
“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.”
Lineker’s reserved approach to his first ONE World Title defense comes from a place of supreme confidence. The 32-year-old powerhouse is unbeaten inside the ONE Circle with a 4-0 record, and his heavy hands have helped him overcome some of the best fighters in ONE’s stacked bantamweight division.
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Andrade is also on a perfect run in ONE, with a 5-0 slate and three successive first-round finishes. But Lineker believes his vast experience and desire to leave the Circle victorious will give him the edge when he squares off with his rival on Saturday.
“Having experience is a good thing because it makes you more confident in fights. But whether it can help me or not depends a lot on what you want, how much you want to win. I believe in that a lot, and that's why in all my fights I’ve always looked for what I wanted. So, the experience will help me to face situations that I've been through, and they won't shake me. The advice I give to Fabrício is: talk less and do more,” he said.
Catch the lead card of ONE Fight Night 3: Lineker vs. Andrade on Saturday, Oct. 22, on NETVERSE, Vidio.com, Kaskus TV, and MAXstream at 7 a.m. Western Indonesian Time. The main card will follow on NETVERSE, Vidio.com, Kaskus TV, and MAXstream at 9 a.m. Also, NET TV will air a same-day delay at 10:30 p.m.
This article was published in collaboration with ONE Championship.