ONE Fight Night 31: “He helped me a lot” - John Lineker hyped for fellow Brazilian Lucas Gabriel’s Prime Video debut

Former ONE bantamweight MMA world champion 'Hands of Stone' John Lineker of Brazil is eagerly anticipating the promotional debut of countryman Lucas Gabriel, who faces a stern test against 'The Warrior' Zhang Lipeng of China at ONE Fight Night 31 this weekend.

The 34-year-old American Top Team veteran has firsthand experience of Gabriel's capabilities, having trained with the youngster for a prior world championship fight.

Speaking to ONE Championship in a recent interview, Lineker talked about Gabriel and what fans can expect from his fellow Brazilian.

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

"He's a tough guy, very good on the ground, and has a very good striking. So, training with him for the fight against Fabrício helped me withstand the kicks and knees and stay on my feet. He helped me a lot during my training camp."

This glowing endorsement from one of Brazil's biggest names in MMA highlights Gabriel's versatility, as he prepares for a three-round lightweight MMA bout against the veteran Zhang.

Needless to say, fans can't wait to witness the ONE Championship debut of Lucas Gabriel, and it won't be long.

Lucas Gabriel draws Chinese veteran Zhang Lipeng for ONE debut at ONE Fight Night 31 on Prime Video

Lucas Gabriel will make his highly anticipated ONE Championship debut against China's 'The Warrior' Zhang Lipeng.

The two throw down in a three-round lightweight MMA bout.

ONE Fight Night 31: Kongthoranee vs. Nong-O II on Prime Video is set to broadcast live in U.S. primetime on Friday, May 2. The event goes down from the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand and can be viewed in the United States and Canada with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding the event as it happens.

About the author

Dan is an MMA writer with 10+ years of overall experience. Before his ongoing tenure at Sportskeeda, Dan got the opportunity to be at the forefront of the sport by contributing to ONE Championship and Fight Game Asia. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology.

Dan’s connection to MMA started during the early days of the UFC and ONE Championship. He previously practiced boxing and ranks Demetrious Johnson, Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre, Jon Jones, and Fedor Emelianenko as the top five MMA fighters of all time.

He has covered several events onsite and on the ground for ONE Championship and hopes to continue doing so. He ensures that he churns out accurate articles by citing only legitimate sources and getting firsthand accounts through exclusive interviews whenever required.

Dan feels MMA fighter pay seems like an issue because it often gets compared to what fighters earn in boxing but that MMA will eventually catch up in the future.

His other interests include soccer and video games.

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Edited by C. Naik