John Lineker tries out the punching machine

You can’t put up a punching machine and not see John Lineker putting his ‘Hands of Stone’ on it.

As with every event, ONE Championship recently brought out the punching machine for athletes to test their power on. In his Instagram stories, Linker posted a video of himself taking his turn with a resounding “boom” upon hitting the target.

John Lineker punches through the machine to test his power. [Screengrab from John Lineker's Instagram Story]

The punching machine has always been a fixture during weigh-ins but has been featured in the last two event vlogs.

At ONE: Bad Blood, Jonathan Haggerty topped all the athletes participating in the event, which almost got him into a match with Bibiano Fernandes. Later, Fabricio Andrade beat out some heavyweights at ONE: Full Circle with an amazing display of power.

While the punching machine is just for fun, the last two winners were able to keep the momentum going in the Circle. Haggerty won his match against Mongkolpetch, while Andrade folded Jeremy Pacatiw with an insane body shot.

Lineker didn’t post the final tally of scores just yet, but he could be in good company if he tops it.

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John Lineker will need all of his punching power against Bibiano Fernandes

At ONE: Lights Out on Friday, March 11, John Lineker will unleash all that punching power against a machine of a man in Bibiano Fernandes.

Fernandes has risen as one of the greatest world champions in ONE Championship history. ‘The Flash’ has defended the undisputed ONE bantamweight world title a whopping eight times. He has never been knocked out in ONE, which is a testament to his durability and ability to avoid the dangerous striking of his opponents in the Circle.

However, Lineker believes that he is a different animal compared to any of the previous opponents that Fernandes has faced. He certainly has a legitimate case.

16 of Lineker’s 34 professional MMA career wins have come by way of knockouts. In terms of experience, Lineker will be the most seasoned fighter that Fernandes has faced, with over 40 fights in various prominent promotions.

Despite his impressive resume, Lineker will be competing in just his first world title challenge. He will no doubt be motivated to prove that he deserves the opportunity and is ready for his reign.

In this classic striker versus grappler matchup, whoever is able to assert their game will have a good chance at taking home the gold.