A photo montage shows John Lineker (left) and Fabricio Andrade. The two Brazilian MMA stars will collide at ONE Fight Night 3 on Saturday. (ONE Championship)
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NE Championship returns to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Saturday with a martial arts spectacle that is stacked from floor to ceiling with World Champions and top-ranked athletes.
ONE Fight Night 3: Lineker vs. Andrade will feature ONE World Title bouts across three different disciplines and a plethora of other exciting matchups.
Having said that, here are three storylines to follow ahead of ONE’s return to the Axiata Arena.
A battle between two of the baddest Brazilians
Headlining the event is the potential fight of the year between ONE bantamweight world champion John Lineker and number-two-ranked contender Fabricio Andrade.
Lineker has remained cool and collected ahead of the fight, while his adversary has been more vocal. Fabricio has called Lineker a “chicken”, accusing him of avoiding the fight for a long time. Now he's predicting a first-round knockout over the titleholder – a feat no other man has been able to achieve. Lineker, however, claims he’ll knock Andrade out in the third round.
Whose prediction will come true? Fans will find out when this main event clash caps off ONE Fight Night 3 on Saturday morning.
A surging newcomer takes on a veteran striker
Recent ONE newcomer Mohammed Boutasaa meets striking veteran and number-four-ranked featherweight kickboxer Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong in a battle between an old lion and a hungry cub.
Sitthichai is still in the thick of competition, with the 31-year-old amassing a record of 127-33-5 and having dispatched 39 opponents by knockout.
Boutasaa, just 23 years old, made his ONE debut this past May and defeated another battle-tested veteran in Davit Kiria. The Dutch-Moroccan means business, as his 16-0 record suggests.
Both men also have their eyes on the same adversary: ONE featherweight kickboxing world champion Superbon Singha Mawynn. Sitthichai is anticipating a fourth meeting with the champ, whereas Boutasaa wants an initial go at Superbon.
Whichever man wins this clash could find himself standing across from Superbon sometime soon.
Read also: Eko Roni Saputra trounces poverty through MMAThe crowning of the inaugural ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion
ADCC world champion Kade Ruotolo and four-time Sambo world champion Uali Kurzhev will meet to see who becomes the inaugural ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion.
It’ll be a battle between Ruotolo’s Brazilian jiu jitsu and Kurzhev’s judo, which will ignite an intriguing contest as the two contrasting styles clash for championship gold.
Both men have many accolades in their respective practices, but the title of ONE lightweight submission grappling world champion will speak the loudest.
Catch the lead card of ONE Fight Night 3: Lineker vs. Andrade on Saturday, Oct. 22, on NETVERSE, Vidio.com, Kaskus TV and MAXstream at 7 a.m. Western Indonesia Time. The main card will follow on NETVERSE, Vidio.com, Kaskus TV and MAXstream at 9 a.m. Also, NET TV will air a same-day delay at 10:30 p.m.
This article was published in collaboration with ONE Championship.