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ONE CEO and Chairman Chatri Sityodtong was extremely impressed by the performances of his fighters at ONE on Prime Video 4, especially Stephen Loman. 'The Sniper' has been on an absolute tear in the bantamweight division, winning three straight since his debut. Loman capped it off with a dominant victory over former bantamweight king Bibiano Fernandes.
In the post-fight interview at ONE on Prime Video 4, Chatri Sityodtong was all praise for the Filipino striking specialist, who also surprisingly dominated the former BJJ world champion on the ground.
Sityodtong had this to say about Stephen Loman:
"Unbelievable. I mean I was really impressed. I mean, if he had finished Bibiano [Fernandes], he would have gotten the bonus and I think an automatic title shot."
It looks like Loman is anything but guaranteed a world title shot in his next bout. At the moment, the ONE bantamweight division is in flux as a result of the controversial world title bout between John Lineker and Fabricio Andrade, which ended in a no-contest last month. The two need to take care of their unfinished business first. Perhaps then Stephen Loman can get a crack at the winner.
Watch the full post-fight interview here:
Chatri Sityodtong "definitely thinks" Stephen Loman is ready for a world title shot
Speaking further about Stephen Loman's impressive victory, Chatri Sityodtong emphasized how the Filipino striker handled the Brazilian jiu-jitsu blackbelt on the ground:
"Stephen [Loman] looked amazing. He's normally a counter striker, but he came out very aggressive. His takedown defense was outstanding. And the fact that you can control a jiu-jitsu world champion as decorated as Bibi, that's just crazy to me, and I definitely think he's ready for a title shot."
Loman threw all the criticism of his team's supposed lack of grappling acumen out the window as he willingly engaged the multi-time BJJ world champion on the ground. 'The Sniper' utterly dominated the grappling exchanges, even scoring a few highlight-reel throws and takedowns.
Although Fernandes was able to score a sweep or two, he was never able to capitalize on them as Loman was always a step ahead of him.
Though he's a counter-puncher like his monicker would suggest, 'The Sniper' surprisingly led the dance as he went after Fernandes in almost every second. In the end, it was perhaps one of the most one-sided losses of Fernandes' storied career.
