ONE Championship bantamweight top contender Fabricio “Wonder Boy” Andrade has cemented himself as one of the most exciting and dangerous fighters in the promotion.
Next up, he’ll take on the biggest fight of his career when he challenges ONE Bantamweight World Champion John “Hands of Stone” Lineker in the main event of ONE Fight Night 3 on the morning of Saturday, October 22.
Team Lakay’s Jeremy “The Juggernaut” Pacatiw—one of Andrade’s fallen opponents—explained why the Brazilian can be crowned the new World Champion at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
“He’s got impeccable timing and he’s very patient in his approach. In our fight, he really waited for me to make a mistake before timing a counter-knee perfectly,” Pacatiw said.
“His win over me, that wasn’t luck. He really timed my strikes and countered perfectly. I made a mistake and he made me pay for it. He’s World Champion caliber. He’s really good.”
While Andrade and Lineker are finishers, Pacatiw expects the World Champ to turn this match into a phonebooth battle while the challenger tries to keep his distance and counter.
“Lineker tends to come out and wants a brawl. On the other hand, I don’t think Andrade will give it to him,” he said.
“I know he’ll stick to his game plan, maybe sit on his counters, time his knees, because in his previous fights that’s what he was doing. He’ll wait and counter with either a knee or a heavy strike.”
Regardless of who imposes their will in the match, Pacatiw believes it won’t last long.
“This will end via knockout. [But] just who’ll get knocked out – I don’t know,” he said. “Maybe whoever comes out and lands the first good punch will win.“
In the meantime, catch “Globe Presents ONE Warrior Series Philippines” every Sunday night on GTV, the ONE Super App, and watch.onefc.com. Weekly replays air on Tap Go, ONE Championship Philippines Facebook, and ONE Championship’s official YouTube channel.