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Stephen Loman has been waiting patiently for his shot at the world championship but it is nearly upon him.
After producing an undefeated run under the ONE Championship banner, including a win over former world champion Bibiano Fernandes, the Team Lakay fighter has positioned himself as the next in line for a title fight.
After his last win at ONE on Prime Video 4, Loman has been waiting patiently for Fabricio Andrade and John Lineker to resolve their rivalry and crown a new ONE bantamweight world champion.
At ONE Fight Night 7, Andrade won the world championship after Lineker’s corner stopped the fight before the fifth round. ‘Wonder Boy’ had spoken in the build-up about Loman being next in line, something he addressed again with the final words of his post-fight interview.
Now that Stephen Loman knows exactly who to prepare for, he is focused on his world championship opportunity. In an interview with The MMA Superfan, Loman spoke about a fight with Andrade, which is likely on the horizon:
“Yeah, he called me out. He knows I’m next in line, and there’s no backing out now. There’s not a lot of gaps in the rankings, and everyone is deserving to be on there. But I need to prepare for this one really well. Right now, ONE hasn’t called us yet. But I will accept as soon as they set this fight up.”
Watch the full interview below:
Stephen Loman in awe of Andrade and Lineker's durability
Watching on from the sidelines, Stephen Loman was impressed by the heart and toughness of both Fabricio Andrade and John Lineker at ONE Fight Night 7.
On February 24, at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, the two Brazilians met for a second time. Andrade emerged victorious and claimed the vacant ONE bantamweight world championship.
Their highly anticipated rematch lived up to the hype, producing a great back-and-forth contest that had fans on the edge of their seats. Despite producing a much better performance than the first time around, John Lineker was unable to beat Andrade, who was impressive once again.
Stephen Loman knew that he would likely be facing the winner in his next outing inside the circle. As he watched the two elite finishers throw down, he was left impressed by both men’s ability to take each other’s best shots.
In the same interview, he said:
“I also felt that Fabricio was about to get knocked out but he just absorbed John’s punches. Then in the later rounds, Fabricio went at it. His straights always found the target and he wobbled John, but John managed to absorb it. That’s why, in my head, I was thinking ‘who’s gonna win this? John or Fabricio?'"
