Fabricio Andrade questions Stephen Loman’s decision to take risky fight vs John Lineker: “It's up to him”

Fabricio Andrade wouldn’t blame Stephen Loman for waiting around to get a shot at his ONE bantamweight world championship.

Stephen Loman is considered by many to be the top contender for Andrade’s bantamweight crown, but ‘The Sniper’ will put his spot on the line when he returns to Singapore Indoor Stadium on September 29. Loman will square off with former world champion John ‘Hands of Stone’ Lineker at ONE Fight Night 14, the winner likely securing himself a shot at the ONE bantamweight world title currently held by Fabricio Andrade.

The recent turn of events had fans slightly confused considering, by all accounts, Stephen Loman was locked into pole position for his first crack at ONE Championship gold.

Instead, Fabricio Andrade opted to accept a champion vs. champion clash with Jonathan Haggerty at ONE Fight Night 15 on October 6, leaving Loman to either sit on the sidelines even longer or accept a fight and put his spot on the line.

Speaking with the South China Morning Post, Andrade wouldn’t blame Loman for sitting out, but if ‘The Sniper’ wants to risk it all, that’s his prerogative.

“I think yeah, he must wait. You know, he's the next line but if you wanna risk it, lose his chance. It's up to him. If he waits is okay,” Andrade said.

If Stephen Loman manages to score a win over John Lineker, there will be no debate that he is the next man in line for Fabricio Andrade’s bantamweight world title. However, if ‘Hands of Stone’ walks away with another epic highlight-reel-worthy knockout on his resume, it could set ‘The Sniper’ back in a big way.

Amazon Prime Video subscribers in North America can catch Stephen Loman vs. John Lineker at ONE Fight Night 14 live and for free in U.S. primetime on September 29. And don’t forget to tune into ONE Fight Night 15 on October 6 when Fabricio Andrade returns to face fellow ONE world champion Jonathan Haggerty.