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Team Lakay’s Stephen Loman was very impressed with John Lineker’s performance at ONE Fight Night 7 last month.
‘Hands of Stone’ may have come up short in his bid to reclaim the ONE bantamweight world championship against Fabricio Andrade, but many fans and fighters were thoroughly entertained by Lineker’s performance in the critically-acclaimed rematch. That includes the next man in line for a shot at the bantamweight crown, Stephen Loman.
“Yeah, I was impressed with Lineker, especially with his hooks,” Loman told The MMA Superfan in a recent interview. “Those hooks were finding Fabricio. That's why I was impressed with his combinations and his forward pressure, as well as his absorption and his wrestling. I was really impressed by John’s performance."
John Lineker has every intention of working his way back into the world title picture upon his return, but until then, he’s content to sit back and watch the inevitable war between Fabricio Andrade and general consensus No. 1 contender Stephen Loman.
‘The Sniper’ earned his spot as the next man in line in the eyes of many with a big win over former ONE world champion Bibiano Fernandes at ONE on Prime Video 4 in November.
When and where Andrade vs. Loman takes place is yet to be announced by the promotion, but fans will no doubt be eager to see ‘Wonder Boy’ attempt to defend his title against the heavy-hitting Filipino standout.
Watch the fight below:
Stephen Loman was surprised by John Lineker’s success wrestling Fabricio Andrade
Unlike his first fight with Fabricio Andrade in October, John Lineker had some fairly successful moments in their highly entertaining rematch at ONE Fight Night 7. ‘Hands of Stone’ looked to get his wrestling going early and managed to put ‘Wonder Boy’ on the mat multiple times.
Stephen Loman was admittedly surprised by John Lineker's successful wrestling, saying:
"I was like, wow, I didn’t expect that because he needed just a bit of forward pressure then he’ll immediately take the fight to the ground. He caught Fabricio with his wrestling, and he has a very good wrestling game too.”
Perhaps John Lineker gave ‘The Sniper’ the blueprint on how to be Fabricio Andrade. Only time will tell, but it sounds as though Loman may have been encouraged to test out his own wrestling against ‘Wonder Boy’ once the pair step inside the Circle later this year.
