Lineker Breaks Silence On Loman, Believes He Deserves World Title Rematch After ONE Fight Night 14 Victory

Add as a preferred source on Google

Former ONE Bantamweight MMA World Champion John Lineker remained the division's top contender at ONE Fight Night 14: Stamp vs. Ham. The victory this past September also extended his winning streak to two in a row.

"Hands of Stone" faced #2-ranked contender Stephen Loman on Saturday, 30 September, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. While he picked up the unanimous decision, many fans found the fight to be a rather underwhelming collision.

The fans aren't alone in that sentiment. Whenever Lineker sets foot in the Circle, there's an air of excitement that a slugfest will inevitably follow. But the Brazilian didn't get the challenge he anticipated, either.

The pivotal battle was a tentative fight across three rounds. Lineker was hoping for more of a test from Loman, but he was happy to walk away relatively unscathed with a notable victory notched onto his record.

"I expected more from Loman. I think he was very cautious. He tried to preserve himself more in the fight. He tried to fight without taking any risks to try to win on points. But I think you have to get in the cage and show that you deserve to be there in that position," Lineker said.

"I felt really good. I did my homework. I didn't get the knockout, but I did my best, as I do in all my fights. I thought I performed well. I managed to show that I'm improving in some aspects, such as defending takedowns and also working underneath. So, I'm very satisfied with my performance."

The win has added steam to Lineker's bantamweight resurgence. And after a short reign as the king of the division, the feisty Brazilian isn't willing to sit and wait for his shot at gold.

However, he must wait for ONE Bantamweight MMA World Champion Fabricio Andrade to return to the fold following his upcoming bid for the vacant ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Title on Saturday, 4 November, at ONE Fight Night 16.

Andrade will lock horns against bantamweight Muay Thai king Jonathan Haggerty in the evening's main event. So, depending on the outcome, Lineker is open to taking on one more fight.

The name that comes to his mind is former featherweight standout and familiar foe Kwon Won Il. The South Korean came up short against Lineker at ONE Fight Night 13, losing by TKO with four seconds remaining.

Kwon has been vocal in his efforts to get a rematch against the Brazilian. And if Lineker has to eliminate Kwon from the fold once more to keep his top spot, he's open to silencing the South Korean.

"I hope everything goes well for Fabrício and that he returns to fighting in MMA as soon as possible, but I don't intend to wait," Lineker said.

"The winner of [my fight with Loman] was expected to challenge for the World Title, and I hope that happens. But if it's not for the title now, I'll do one more fight. I want to work.

"If I have to wait, February would be a good month to fight [Andrade] for the belt. But if it's a long time after that, I'd rather not wait. [Kwon] is challenging me, so if the title fight takes a while, I can fight him."