John Lineker shares inspirational message to up-and-coming MMA fighters

Former bantamweight world champion John Lineker is one of the most experienced fighters on ONE Championship’s roster. With 45 professional bouts under his belt, ‘Hands of Stone’ is a fountain of knowledge when it comes to stepping inside the circle.

Lineker has already achieved so much in his career, from making a reputation for himself in the United States to signing with ONE and becoming the bantamweight world champion.

At just 32 years old, he isn’t done yet either and his wealth of experience keeps him focused.

In an interview with MMA Sucka, John Lineker shared some wise words to young fighters who are just embarking down a similar path to the one he made when he stepped into a cage for his pro debut in 2008.

He said:

“My first piece of advice is to give your dreams to God and no one else. Afterwards, you need to dedicate yourself and focus on what you want for your life. It’s difficult, it’s not easy, but when we set a goal, have focus and determination, we achieve it. Even if many say you are not capable, always believe in yourself.”

Lineker will need to draw on his own dedication and focus for his next fight on February 24, a rematch with Fabricio Andrade for the vacant bantamweight world championship at ONE Fight Night 7 on Prime Video.

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John Lineker focused on righting the wrongs from his first fight with Fabricio Andrade

It’s no secret that John Lineker’s first fight with Fabricio Andrade didn’t play out well for the former champion.

After losing his world championship on the scale due to missing weight, the fight itself wasn’t his best performance either despite it ending in a no contest.

With the inconclusive result that came around due to an unintentional low blow, the former champ now has the opportunity to correct all of his mistakes in their rematch on February 24.

For a veteran like Lineker, who knows not to read through the criticisms aimed at him following the events of ONE on Prime Video 3, he is solely focused on realizing his mistakes and making the right adjustments going into ONE Fight Night 7.

Speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda MMA, John Lineker said:

"I tried not to even see the comments. To this day I haven't logged in to see the comments about it. I preferred to focus and correct my mistakes, to show that I'm capable, that what happened was a technical error, a silly mistake on the scales."

He added:

"Now I have the chance to correct that mistake and prove that I can do it. Losing the title messed me up, but now I'm motivated to get back what's mine."

Given how his first meeting with Fabricio Andrade played out, it can be easy to forget just how dominant Lineker was in ONE Championship up to that point. Next time out, he will look to remind everyone what ‘Hands of Stone’ is capable of once the cage door closes.