Andrade TKO’s Lineker In Four-Round Striking Showcase In Thailand

The hallowed grounds of the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand played host to an overall great ONE Fight Night 7 on Saturday, February 25 (Friday, February 24 in the United States) and saw big winners emerge throughout.

The long-awaited rematch between Fabricio Andrade and former champion John Lineker headlined the card as they battled it out once again for the still-vacant ONE bantamweight title.

As expected by the fans, a striking showcase between both men ensued for the better part of the fight and they were treated to a haymaker-filled first and second rounds.

Lineker sought to stifle his younger Brazilian counterpart with early takedowns, but after finding his second wind, he engaged mainly in the stand-up game.

“Wonderboy” stayed in stride with his fellow countryman thanks to his five-inch reach advantage as he peppered Lineker with jabs, but “Hands of Stone” continued to score big with his overhand right.

Near the closing moments of the fourth frame, Andrade battered Lineker with a myriad of shattering punching combinations that horrifically rearranged his opponent’s facial features.

After an astounding four rounds of action, Lineker did not answer the bell for the final frame and Andrade finally claimed the ONE bantamweight title by technical knockout.

In the co-main event Tawanchai PK.Saenchai claimed ahead of his first-ever defense of the featherweight Muay Thai title that he was confident about his chances against Jamal Yusupov and he proved it in just 49 seconds.

The hometown kid showed out in front of the Thai fans as he pulled out a walk-off technical knockout victory over Yusupov as he repeatedly targeted his opponent’s legs.

Yusupov, limping off to the ropes after receiving a thunderous kick to his thigh, could no longer continue as referee Olivier Coste counted him out as he struggled to put weight on his right leg.

“This is the plan that I’ve been planning for three months. I’ve been losing sleep over it, but I didn’t want to disappoint the Thai fans,” Tawanchai explained through a translator in the post-fight interview.

For his efforts, Tawanchai was awarded a $50,000 performance bonus.

Martin Nguyen, seeking his second win in four fights, stepped into the ring against Brazilian newcomer Leonardo Casotti and “The Situ-Asian” welcomed him in kind with some heavy hands in the first round.

The bout, as many have come to expect in a Nguyen fight, was a stand-up-only affair as both men were happy to oblige in striking exchanges, with the former two-division ONE Championship veteran and Casotti getting their licks in.

However, a big takedown from the No. 4-ranked featherweight late in the third round and some massive ground-and-pound strikes secured Nguyen an impressive unanimous decision victory.

No. 3-ranked flyweight Danny Kingad made his grand return against rising Indonesian wrestler Eko Roni Saputra and despite worries of ring rust, Kingad instead showed an all-new side to his game.

Kingad was surprisingly in control of Saputra from the opening bell after pulling out a surprising takedown.

Still, Saputra was able to showcase flashes of his power and strengths on the ground.

However, “The King” was not going to be denied as he kept the momentum up for the second and third rounds, even landing big takedowns plus a spinning elbow that rocked Saputra.

The Team Lakay fighter was awarded a unanimous decision win—his first since defeating Xie Wei in January 2020.

In the other bouts of the main card, Thailand’s Saemapetch Fairtex claimed a unanimous decision victory over Zhang Chenglong in his kickboxing debut, Danielle Kelly pulled off a come-from-behind performance to author a decision win over Ayaka Miura, and Francesko Xhaja claimed an impressive split decision win over kickboxing staple Andrei Stoica.

Bonus Bouts:

• Victoria Souza takes a unanimous decision win over Linda Darrow
• Tommy Langaker forces Uali Kurzhev to tap out with a heel hook
• Adrian Mattheis starches Zelang Zhaxia and claims a knockout win in less than a minute