Stephen Loman discovered his weakness after John Lineker defeat: “I’m working on my hands”

At ONE Fight Night 14, Stephen Loman suffered his first loss since signing with ONE Championship.

Having put together a three-fight win streak in the bantamweight division, the Filipino contender found himself just one win away from a title shot.

Standing in his way on September 29 was former champion John Lineker who, on the night, was able to use his experience to control the fight and shut his opponent out.

It was a disappointing result for ‘The Sniper’, who has been critical about his performance in the biggest fight of his career to date. Crucially for the 28-year-old, he has been able to take lessons from the fight that will help him to grow as a contender for when he makes his return and a second run at the belt.

Having not tasted a defeat since 2016, sometimes a setback can be the making of an athlete. Loman is hoping to showcase his evolution when he does step back inside the circle.

While Loman has been able to implement his game plan effectively in previous fights, this matchup played out largely as a boxing contest, which is not where you want to challenge an opponent like ‘Hands of Stone’.

After being unable to take a hold of the fight and force Lineker to fight in a different way, Stephen Loman has gone back to the drawing board to work on his flaws before making a comeback under the ONE Championship banner.

In an interview with The MMA Superfan, he spoke about the work he has been doing since tasting defeat at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, with a specific focus on his boxing skills:

“I’ve been sharpening my boxing, both on defense and offense. I’m learning new combinations. I’m still recovering from a few injuries to my foot and my ribs. So I’m working on my hands in the meantime so that I can apply it to my next fight.”

Watch the full interview below:

North American viewers with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription can rewatch all the action from ONE Fight Night 14 via the free event replay.