Stephen Loman says he’d be down to fight John Lineker in a bantamweight eliminator

Stephen Loman isn’t against fighting John Lineker in a bantamweight title shot eliminator bout.

In November 2022, Loman defeated former ONE bantamweight MMA world champion Bibiano Fernandes by unanimous decision. The win was expected to give ‘The Sniper’ a title shot against the holder of the bantamweight crown.

Unfortunately for Loman, a lot has changed in the division over the last month. Firstly, new divisional king Fabricio Andrade is now scheduled to fight ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion Jonathan Haggerty for the ONE bantamweight kickboxing world title on October 6.

Secondly, former bantamweight MMA world champion John Lineker secured a highlight-reel knockout against Kim Jae Woong on August 4. Therefore, ‘Hands of Stone’ has an argument for deserving a number one contender matchup in his next ONE appearance.

During an interview with The MMA Superfan, Stephen Loman was asked about potentially fighting Lineker next. He responded by saying:

“If ONE wants a title eliminator match between me and Lineker, then there’s no problem with it.”

Stephen Loman made his ONE Championship debut in December 2021, defeating Yusup Saadulaev with a first-round knockout.

Since then, Loman has secured back-to-back unanimous decision wins against Shoko Sato and Bibiano Fernandes, which pushed him to the upper echelons of the bantamweight MMA division.

Meanwhile, John Lineker bounced back from a brutal two-fight series against Fabricio Andrade by taking out Kim Jae Woong.

The 33-year-old Brazilian proved again that he’s one of the most dangerous fighters on the ONE roster. It’ll be intriguing to see if ‘Hands of Stone’ is rewarded with a number one contender matchup in his next fight.