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Former ONE bantamweight MMA world champion John Lineker is determined to once again feel the weight of 26 pounds of gold over his shoulder.
In February, ‘Hands of Stone’ surrendered the bantamweight MMA title to current champion Fabricio Andrade after he was unable to continue following an especially brutal fourth round. Since then, John Lineker has bounced back, earning a buzzer-beating third-round knockout of Kim Jae Woong and a unanimous decision over No. 2 ranked contender Stephen Loman.
Speaking with ONE Championship not long after his ONE Fight Night 14 win over Loman, ‘Hands of Stone’ shared his desire to once again challenge Fabricio Andrade and claim ONE Championship gold once again.
“I really want to fight for the title again. I want that belt,” Lineker said. “That’s what I’m there for, to win the title. This is something every fighter seeks. As I was once champion, winning that title back would be incredible.”
With wins over Kim and Loman, John Lineker has likely secured himself a trilogy bout with Andrade, but ‘Hands of Stone’ may have to wait as Andrade is currently scheduled for a champion vs. champion clash with fellow bantamweight world titleholder Jonathan Haggerty. The two striking sensations are scheduled to headline ONE Championship’s return to Lumpinee Boxing Stadium with the winner emerging as the new bantamweight kickboxing king.
In the meantime, Lineker could very well stand by and wait for his opportunity to come along, but it’s possible that ‘Hands of Stone’ could opt to take another fight in an effort to stay busy. Of course, no official announcements have been made, so Lineker could very well need one more win before earning another opportunity at bantamweight gold.
Do you believe John Lineker has done enough to once again challenge Fabricio Andrade, or does the Brazilian heavy-hitter need another win to solidify his spot as the top-ranked contender?
If you missed any of the action or want to relive an epic night in ONE Championship history, the ONE Fight Night 14 replay can be watched anytime on demand via Amazon Prime Video in North America. And don’t forget to tune in to ONE Fight Night 16 on November 3.
