John Lineker Lays Down His Prediction for His Upcoming Matchup Against Stephen Loman ONE Fight Night 14

John Lineker is determined to reclaim bantamweight MMA gold in ONE Championship, and he sees his upcoming match as his path to another shot at the World Title.

At ONE Fight Night 14: Stamp vs. Ham, taking place this Friday, September 29, “Hands of Stone” will square off against Stephen Loman, the top two contenders in the highly competitive division. The event, featuring their clash and a star-studded card, will be broadcast live and free on Prime Video for fans across North America from the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

John Lineker offers a prediction for his match against Stephen Loman

Lineker had a remarkable start to his ONE Championship journey, winning three consecutive fights before capturing the division’s top honor against long-reigning champion Bibiano Fernandes at ONE: LIGHTS OUT in March of the previous year. However, his momentum came to a halt in consecutive matchups with Fabricio Andrade. He fought to a no-contest decision after missing weight last October and then suffered a loss in their rematch for the title this past February.

But in the recent ONE Fight Night 13, Lineker made a triumphant return to action against former top-ranked featherweight Kim Jae Woong, demonstrating that he still possesses the fire to compete at a high level. Now, facing a similarly striking-focused opponent in Loman, Lineker aims to apply the lessons he learned from his last fight to secure victory. “When I faced Kim Jae Woong, I anticipated a stand-up fight with striking, but he surprised me by taking me down. So, taking that fight with Kim Jae Woong as a learning experience, I need to be prepared for all situations that may arise in the fight,” explained the 33-year-old in a recent interview with ONE.

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“I believe that Loman will also try to take me down because he knows I have heavy hands and knockout power. So, I don’t think he’ll want to risk it. I’m going for the knockout, as I do in all my fights. I enter a fight to knock out my opponent, to put on a show. And this fight will be no different. I will secure the knockout once again.” Loman presents a formidable challenge for Lineker, riding an impressive 11-fight winning streak dating back to 2016, including three consecutive victories in ONE Championship.

Lineker believes the winner should get a world title opportunity against Fabricio Andrade

Given Loman’s credentials and his own accomplishments, Lineker believes that the winner of their bout deserves the opportunity to challenge Andrade for the World Title.

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“I believe the winner of this fight deserves a title shot,” he declared. “I’m ranked number one, and he’s ranked number two, so the winner of this fight unquestionably deserves a title shot. We are at the top of the rankings, so the winner deserves this chance.”