John Lineker reveals he would have been a ‘cowboy’ if he didn’t become a fighter

Former ONE bantamweight MMA world champion and current first-ranked ONE bantamweight MMA contender ‘Hands of Stone’ John Lineker is without a doubt one of the most talented mixed martial artists on the planet.

The 33-year-old from Brazil is not only a former world champion, he’s also a bonafide knockout artist who has an impressive 18 knockouts and four submissions to his name out of 36 career wins.

Needless to say, Lineker knows how to finish his opponents, and he’s great at what he does. However, he wasn’t always planning on becoming a successful MMA fighter.

When Lineker was a young boy growing up in Paranagua, ‘Hands of Stone’ envisioned himself in a completely different arena – the bull arena.

Speaking to ONE Championship in a recent interview, Lineker detailed that he, in fact, aspired to become a cowboy at the age of eight.

‘Hands of Stone’ said:

“When I was eight years old, I even rode horses and jumping bulls. At that time I thought about becoming a cowboy, but it wasn't something I took forward. It wasn't really a dream, it was just some thoughts I had and some conversations with my friends. But I didn't take it forward.”

Did Lineker make the right decision and follow his path to MMA greatness? We could soon find out in his next fight.

No.1-ranked bantamweight MMA contender and former divisional king ‘Hands of Stone’ John Lineker is set to face No.2-ranked ‘The Sniper’ Stephen Loman of the Philippines at ONE Fight Night 14: Stamp vs. Ham on Prime Video.

The event will be broadcast live from the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore on Friday, September 29.

Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action live and absolutely free with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.