Welcome to (slightly after) Midnight Mania!
Earlier tonight (Fri. Oct. 21, 2022), ONE on Prime Video 3 “Lineker vs. Andrade” concluded its main event when recently stripped Bantamweight kingpin, John Lineker, squared off with rising star, Fabricio Andrade, inside Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Unfortunately, a great fight ended in less-than-ideal circumstances.
Andrade looked fast from the first bell, flicking jabs. Lineker targeted the lead leg, but Andrade was walking him down and lining up big shots like step-in knees. Before long, a crisp left hand had stunned Lineker, though the ex-champion responded with a much-needed takedown.
Lineker landed a few shots but couldn’t keep Andrade down for long. His young foe went right back on the offensive, but now Lineker was starting to land too, earning a bit of respect back. By the end of the first, both men had taken some hard shots.
Andrade started the second with crisp straight shots. However, Lineker was touching his body, and when he opened up with big swings, he scored there too. Lineker used a takedown to land some huge blows, though Andrade managed to eat the shots well. As the round wore on, both men stood in front of one another more and more, resulting in major damage on both sides. By the end of the second, Lineker’s eye was badly damaged and nearly swollen shut.
Lineker really pursued the grappling early in the third, but Andrade kept the fight a kickboxing match. At range, Andrade kept poking Lineker with his jab and snap kick. Lineker landed some solid blows, but he wasn’t matching Andrade’s volume. Moments later, Andrade crushed Lineker with a knee to the body, then in the follow up flurry, a second knee clipped Lineker below the belt.
It wasn’t just a low blow. It was a BRUTAL low blow! Lineker’s cup was shattered by the knee, and the ultra tough veteran was dry heaving in the cage. Clearly, the fight wasn’t going to be restarted, resulting in a “No Contest.” If there’s a silver lining, perhaps Lineker will be able to make weight for the likely immediate rematch?
Check out some highlights below:
Insomnia
A great shot of the legendary Chute Boxe squad! Also: it’s not a real weight cut unless all your homies see you naked.
Alexander Volkanovski weighing in as backup for a title fight on half-a-camp after a broken hand is pretty dang badass.
Apparently, there’s some debate on whether or not Islam Makhachev made weight. Weigh in (haha) in the comments!
Conor McGregor with a seemingly random shot at Petr Yan.
It’s been cool to see Yan and Aljamain Sterling show mutual respect this week, especially since there’s a decent chance they fight again in the next year or two.
Alright, Hasbulla and “Suga” Sean is a pretty funny combination.
MMA Twitter is memeing TJ Dillashaw for wearing a cheap shirt off Shein.
Is there a betting line on whether or not Jon Jones fights in 2022 yet?
Kevin Lee offers a unique perspective on Oliveira vs. Makhachev.
Slips, rips, and KO clips
Charles Oliveira has been doing this so long he has great finishes that no one even remembers. Hatsu Hioki is a great black belt, but he also fell victim to an Oliveira signature: the anaconda choke from full guard.
BACKFIST KNOCKDOWN! A non-spinning one!
Another thread to click through for an entire career recap, but Dillashaw also has some forgotten, slick finishes on his record.
Random Land
This dude who DnD rolls his way to a unique lunch every day is one of the most entertaining rabbit holes on the web.
Midnight Music: 1997, New York hip-hop
Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.