John Lineker Talks ONE US Debut, Makes Johnson Vs. Moraes III Prediction

Singapore, December 20: John Lineker has a long history of fighting in the US, and his years there have made him a firm favorite amongst American combat sports fans.

As such, the Brazilian star is excited to see ONE Championship make its US debut in 2023. The Singapore-based promotion's much-anticipated debut North American show will take place on 6 May, at the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado.

ONE Fight Night 10 will be headlined by a ONE Flyweight World Title trilogy showdown between World Champion Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson and former divisional king Adriano Moraes.

Lineker - who trains at American Top Team in Florida - is excited to see ONE break ground in the US and showcase the talent on offer at The Home of Martial Arts.

"ONE's U.S. debut is great news for all of us fighters. And also for the event, which has been growing a lot around the world. It will be very good for us fighters in terms of sponsorship and visibility, among other aspects," he said.

Now the #2-ranked bantamweight contender, Lineker is set to take on top-ranked Fabricio Andrade in a rematch for the vacant ONE Bantamweight World Title at ONE Fight Night 7.

Lineker may have his hands full with that heated showdown, but once he attends to business on 11 February, he'd love to get the chance to compete on U.S. shores under the ONE banner.

"It would be an honor because most of my international fights were in the United States. So, to be fighting again in the U.S. for ONE Championship would be amazing." Lineker said.

"My focus now is to beat Fabrício Andrade. Let's see after my fight and after the debut of ONE in the United States if any interesting opponents appear to fight in the next edition."

As for the ONE Fight Night 10 main event, Lineker is siding with his countryman and American Top Team stablemate Moraes.

The former bantamweight king believes that "Mikinho" will use his black belt-level BJJ skills to bring home the gold.

"I believe in a victory for Adriano Moraes. He has a better ground game than Demetrious Johnson. I believe he will work well from a distance since he has a bigger wingspan, and he won't let the DJ dominate the center of the cage," he said.

"My bet is that Adriano Moraes will take down DJ and win this trilogy by submission."

Source: Media Release