"Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth" – John Lineker responds to Bibiano Fernandes claiming he doesn't have dangerous striking

John Lineker has heard what Bibiano Fernandes said about his striking and grappling, and he's having none of it.

Ahead of their bout at ONE: Lights Out on March 11, Fernandes has claimed that Lineker doesn't have "dangerous striking" despite the latter's reputation that earned him the nickname 'Hands of Stone'.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Lineker responded to his opponent's claim by saying:

"Other opponents have already said that, but when it comes to the fight everything changes. As Mike Tyson says, everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth. I trust in my striking, I know how dangerous I am in striking. And he knows it too. The important thing is that I am well prepared and focused. It's sure to be a great fight."

Lineker has collected 16 KOs in his 34 professional MMA wins throughout his career. In three appearances in ONE Championship, the 31-year-old already has two knockouts under his belt. One of those knockouts is over Kevin Belingon – the only man who claimed a victory over Fernandes in ONE Championship.

On paper, Fernandes is the stronger grappler between the two, with 9 submissions in his 24 victories as opposed to Lineker's 4. However, Lineker is confident that his ground game will also hold up against the world champion:

"I've been training my ground game a lot, my jiu-jitsu, my wrestling, and today I feel very confident. If I get taken down, I feel confident to work my ground game. I still haven't been able to show my evolution in jiu-jitsu in my last fights, because they've ended up standing up, by knockout. But if I go to the ground, I'll have the opportunity to show how much I've evolved. An MMA fighter needs to have the most complete game possible, and I know that I am a complete athlete, that I am prepared to fight both standing and on the ground."

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Extra time allows John Lineker to improve

Despite testing positive for COVID-19 that prevented him from competing in February, John Lineker shared that he has been able to not only maintain his conditioning but even improve it:

"I managed to keep my physical shape. In fact, I believe it has improved. I can say for sure that I improved my physical and mental condition for this fight," Lineker said. "I focused more on improving my technique and reviewing my fighting strategy."

While the delay may have caused some issues in terms of preparations, John Lineker chose to look at the positive effects of it instead:

"That extra time was good to adjust a lot of things. Like I said, I feel stronger and faster. I believe that this postponement was beneficial. Now I want the moment of the fight to come to show everything I've trained."

Lineker vs. Fernandes has the potential to be an incredible fight, and it will be interesting to see who comes out on top when the pair meet.