“A good combination of business and pleasure” - John Lineker reflects on his Muay Thai and kickboxing detours

Former undisputed ONE bantamweight MMA world champion John Lineker took a well-publicized detour into Muay Thai and kickboxing after losing his gold to countryman Fabricio Andrade in 2023.

Following wins over Kim Jae Woong and Stephen Loman, and a loss to Shinya Aoki, Lineker ventured into Muay Thai, gaining immediate success with explosive knockouts over Asa Ten Pow and Alexey Balyko.

That put Lineker on the striking map, and soon, big matchups came for 'Hands of Stone', despite the Brazilian falling short in some of them. Speaking to ONE Championship in a recent interview, Lineker talked about his Muay Thai and kickboxing excursion, and what he thought of it.

'Hands of Stone' told the world's largest martial arts organization:

"I was very happy with that. I think in the end, it was a good combination of business and pleasure."

Lineker's striking performance has been shockingly successful, as the 34-year-old is able to showcase his freakish knockout power without the fear of getting taken down.

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John Lineker has no regrets about venturing into Muay Thai and kickboxing: "I am very happy with the results"

John Lineker came away with mixed results in his Muay Thai and kickboxing stint, but the 34-year-old Brazilian veteran says he is happy with how it all turned out.

The former bantamweight MMA king told ONE:

"I stayed active, tested myself in other areas, and made some extra money. I am very happy with the results I achieved in these fights."

Lineker added:

"At first, it was to keep myself active and also to be able to earn some extra money. But it was also good because I was able to test myself, and I believe I did very well."

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding John Lineker's next fight.