Stephen Loman ‘surprised’ John Lineker accepted dangerous quick turnaround

When ONE Championship announced that No. 2-ranked bantamweight contender Stephen Loman was going to face No. 1-ranked divisional challenger John Lineker at ONE Fight Night 14 on September 29, a lot of fans were surprised.

Many believed that the Filipino slugger had automatically earned his world title shot against reigning world champion Fabricio Andrade after his dominant victory against another former world champion, Bibiano Fernandes. Even Andrade thinks that Loman deserves to be his next challenger.

Additionally, Lineker is coming off a come-from-behind victory over Kim Jae Woong just earlier this month on August 4 at ONE Fight Night 13. The Brazilian MMA star almost went the distance with his Korean foe, until the ‘Hands of Stone’ landed his signature right-hand power punch that eventually earned him the last-second TKO finish.

It was a hard-fought and fast-paced bout for Lineker, where he also sustained damage courtesy of Kim. After a grueling match, most fighters will opt for a long layoff to rest and recover, but the 33-year-old ultimately accepted the offer to fight the Team Lakay standout in a quick turnaround of under two months.

This came as a surprise for ‘The Sniper’, especially since this is an all-important world title eliminator showdown where the winner is expected to get an outright shot at the world championship against Andrade.

Appearing on The MMA Superfan for an interview, Loman shared his thoughts about Lineker’s short amount of preparation for their upcoming clash:

"I was a bit surprised [he accepted a quick turnaround]. He’s still the number one contender and he won his comeback fight. I’m a bit surprised he accepted another fight with me as his next challenger."

Loman hopes to add Lineker to his list of victims inside the Circle as he guns for his first world title opportunity under the world’s largest martial arts organization.

Catch ONE Fight Night 14 on September 29, as it is free of charge for Prime Video subscribers in North America.