An action-packed bout between John Lineker and Fabricio de Andrade in ONE Championship ended anticlimactically after a low blow in the third round turned the fight into a No Contest.
Lineker and Andrade met in the main event of ONE on Prime Video 3 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia with the promotion’s 135-pound title on the line, but things got complicated even before they entered the cage.
The defending champion Lineker missed weight ahead of the fight, which resulted in him being stripped of the belt. While Andrade could still claim the title, “Hands of Stone” would be unable to win the belt even with a victory.
Andrade’s height and reach advantage were evident from the moment the fight started, and “Wonder Boy” had some early success walking forward on Lineker.
After a well-timed takedown in the first round allowed Lineker to escape danger, the former UFC fighter came on strong in the second round. Anyone familiar with the Brazilian knows that “Hands of Stone” is an apt nickname, and Linker made sure to give Andrade a taste of his power.
After starting strong in the second round, Lineker ended up eating a punch that caused a significant bruise to immediately swell up underneath his right eye. The fight looked as if it could potentially be stopped in between rounds due to the injury, but Lineker’s vision was apparently unaffected and the bout was allowed to continue.
The 32-year-old returned to swinging huge hooks at his Brazilian countryman to start the third round, but the most significant strike of the fight ended up coming immediately before the foul that cut things short.
Andrade countered a Lineker punch with a perfect knee to the midsection that clearly hurt the former champion, but while pursuing the finish “Wonder Boy” threw another knee against the fence that landed too low.
Things immediately looked grim, as Lineker rolled around on the mat before he removed his apparently broken cup and handed it to his corner. After the allocated time to recover from the foul had expired, the bout was declared a No Contest.
Even though it ended disappointingly, the bout between the two Brazilians was tremendously entertaining while it lasted. The ONE on Prime Video 3 main card also included a match for the promotion’s inaugural lightweight submission grappling title, and the co-main event saw the crowning of ONE’s inaugural lightweight Muay Thai champion.
Full results for ONE on Prime Video 3 can be found below.
(Note: All ONE weight classes are 10 lbs. heavier than traditional MMA weight classes. Whereas a flyweight title fight in the UFC would be contested at 125 lbs., in ONE it is 135 lbs.)
Main Card
Main Event – Bantamweight MMA Title Fight: John Lineker vs. Fabricio de Andrade ends in a No Contest (Groin Strike): R3
Co-Main Event – Lightweight Muay Thai Title Fight: Regian Eersel def. Sinsamut Klinmee via Split Decision
Lightweight Submission Grappling Title Fight: Kade Ruotolo def. Uali Kurzhev via Submission (Heel Hook): R1, 4:26
Featherweight Kickboxing Bout: Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong def. Mohammed Boutasaa via Unanimous Decision
Featherweight MMA Bout: Shamil Gasanov def. Jae Woong Kim via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke): R1, 2:09
Lead Card
Strawweight MMA Bout: Jeremy Miado def. Danial Williams via TKO: R3, :31
Flyweight Muay Thai Bout: Taiki Naito def. Amir Naseri via Unanimous Decision
Bantamweight Muay Thai Bout: Mehdi Zatout def. Asa Ten Pow via TKO: R1, 3:00
Catchweight (117 lbs.) MMA Bout: Noelle Grandjean def. Lea Bivins via TKO: R1, 4:01
What’s your reaction to the low blow that ended the main event of ONE on Prime Video 3?