John Lineker shares his passion for horse racing: “I get more nervous than when I fight”

Former ONE bantamweight world champion John Lineker is coming off a buzzer-beating knockout victory over Kim Jae Woong last August 4 at ONE Fight Night 13 to return in the winner’s circle. Prior to that, ‘Hands of Stone’ suffered a TKO loss at the hands of Fabricio Andrade last February.

That exciting win maintained Lineker’s status as the No. 1-ranked contender in the stacked bantamweight division. Surprisingly, these heart-stopping and nerve-wracking fights are not the most anxious moments that the ‘Hands of Stone’ has experienced in his life.

In his most recent interview with ONE Championship, the Brazilian knockout artist opened up about his love for horse racing and how it gives him nerves whenever his horses compete in tournaments.

The 33-year-old said:

"When I see my horses running, it’s an adrenaline rush that I don’t know how to explain. When they run, I get more nervous than when I fight. It’s something inexplicable!"

This is a surprising revelation from Lineker, given that he already fought the best bantamweight fighters under the world’s largest martial arts organization, including the likes of Kevin Belingon, Troy Worthen, Bibiano Fernandes, and Fabricio Andrade.

It was also a nice way of showing that there is more to life than just competing inside the circle for all combat sports athletes. Looks like Lineker found his outlet through horse racing. Currently, the American Top Team representative is preparing for a quick turnaround fight as he faces No. 2-ranked contender Stephen Loman.

The top two bantamweight challengers will go head-to-head on September 29 at ONE Fight Night 14 inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium, where the winner likely gets a direct shot against reigning ONE bantamweight world champion Fabricio Andrade.

ONE Fight Night 14 is free for Prime Video subscribers in North America.