Fabricio Andrade.
Everyone loves a definitive ending, especially fight fans.
So when Fabricio “Wonder Boy” Andrade and John “Hands of Stone” Lineker’s ONE Bantamweight World Championship battle at ONE Fight Night 3 ended in a no-contest ruling on Oct. 22, the world was left in limbo.
An accidental groin shot thrown by Wonder Boy in the third round of the main event bout inside the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur deemed Lineker unable to continue, meaning the action came to a screeching halt.
And due to the latter missing weight the day before and being stripped of his ONE World Title, the coveted belt was left without an owner at the conclusion of the event.
The shockingly unsatisfying ending started immediate chatter about a rematch between the two stars. And here, we list three reasons why ONE's global fan base needs to see it as soon as possible.
Reason one: Lineker missing weight
As the World Champion, Lineker held a heavy burden going into his match with Andrade.
The Brazilian powerhouse was on a blistering hot streak in ONE that included dethroning longtime bantamweight king Bibiano Fernandes earlier this year. This was to be his first world title defense – and a chance to cement his dominance against a striking superstar.
Unfortunately, the 32-year-old miscalculated during his preparation, causing him to miss weight by nearly a pound.
Read also: Allazov to challenge Superbon for featherweight kickboxing crown at ONE Fight Night 5He lost the belt as a result and was also deemed ineligible to be crowned world champion if he were to win.
Lineker has spoken about how this brought a negative energy to the bout, so fans can bet that if he were offered an immediate rematch with Andrade, he would not make the same mistake again.
Reason two: An unresolved ending
Despite Lineker’s undefeated record inside the ONE Circle, the 32-year-old star was clearly struggling against his younger opponent from the opening bell.
Andrade made good on his months of trash talk and served up a hefty punishment to the former world champion for two rounds.
Despite the devastating damage to his face, Lineker looked to come alive in the third frame. He was beginning to bring the fight to Wonder Boy, until the accidental low blow brought a sudden end to proceedings.
With the unexpected finish, fans are understandably left with a feeling of “what if?” A quick rematch between the two superstars could offer a concrete answer as to who the true divisional king is.
Reason three: The vacant world title
ONE’s bantamweight division is stacked from top to bottom, and leaving its throne empty is not a situation that any fan or fighter wants to see for long.
With the main event tussle ending in a no-contest ruling, there is currently no world champion. So rectifying that issue should be priority for the Singapore-based promotion.
Andrade now sits in the No. 1 position in the divisional rankings, and Lineker is just below him in the No. 2 spot. It would make sense for them to meet again in order to decide who deserves to claim the crown.
Both Wonder Boy and Hands of Stone have expressed interest in squaring off again, so once the latter has recovered from the injuries he incurred in the first bout, the rematch should go ahead immediately.
Up next, do not miss ONE Fight Night 4: Abbasov vs. Lee on Saturday, Nov. 19 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. Tickets can be purchased at: https://ticketmaster.sg/activity/detail/22_onenovsg.
This article was published in collaboration with ONE Championship.