“I've trained with him and I know how tough he is” - John Lineker weighs in on Adriano Moraes as a fighter

John Lineker was likely one of the very few people in the world who was not surprised when Adriano Moraes defended the ONE flyweight world championship and handed Demetrious Johnson the first knockout loss of his career.

In a recent interview, ‘Hands of Stone’ mentioned only one name when he was asked about which fighter people should watch out for across all divisions:

“Adriano Moraes. The fight he did against Demetrious Johnson, nobody expected. Nobody believed, they didn't know what he was capable of. And he had an amazing fight! I told him all the time that victory was his, because I've trained with him and I know how tough he is. And he's still going to show a lot more!”

Despite being the world champion, ‘Mikinho’ was not favored by many to beat ‘Mighty Mouse’ owing to the American’s legendary MMA resume.

Johnson bested some of the best fighters in the world during his time in the UFC and subsequently won the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix upon joining Asia's premier MMA organization.

In the biggest fight of his career so far, Moraes showed up and provided a highlight-reel finish that won the honor of being the promotion’s 2021 MMA Knockout of the Year.

---

John Lineker’s rise could lead to a showdown with Adriano Moraes

John Lineker is set to fight for the ONE bantamweight world championship against Bibiano Fernandes at ONE: Bad Blood, which is set to go down on February 11.

While some harsh words have been said between the two fighters, both have expressed their mutual respect for the achievements of one another.

Should Lineker get the win, he could be facing another fellow Brazilian in Adriano Moraes. The ONE flyweight world champion has been receptive to the idea of facing Fernandes in a champion vs. champion matchup, but would rather focus on defending his title first.

A successful title defense by Moraes against Yuya Wakamatsu at ONE: X on March 26 will pave the way for a showdown with the ONE bantamweight world champion in the future.

The question is, will it be against John Lineker or Bibiano Fernandes?