Alexey Balyko plans to give KO artist John Lineker a taste of his own medicine: “A beautiful knockout”

Russian striker Alexey Balyko is fighting this week on short notice but is unperturbed by it and is still confident of coming up with a knockout victory.

The 31-year-old Tiger Muay Thai affiliate will battle Brazilian MMA star John Lineker in a bantamweight Muay Thai showdown at ONE Fight Night 25: Nicolas vs. Eersel II on Oct. 4 at the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

In an interview with ONE Championship in line with his return to action, Alexey Balyko spoke about taking the Lineker match on short notice and how he intends to go about it come fight night.

He said:

"The main challenge on short notice is making weight, but a true professional can handle that and be ready for everything else."

He added:

"The perfect outcome for me in this fight would be, of course, a beautiful knockout."

The Lineker-Balyko match was announced in late September and is one of four Muay Thai matches on offer at ONE Fight Night 25.

Alexey Balyko is off a bounce-back win in his last match in July, which saw him knock out Irish fighter Stefan Korodi in the opening round.

Meanwhile, Lineker made a successful Muay Thai debut in his last match in September in the United States, knocking out America's Asa Ten Pow in the second round. The KO win earned him a $50,000 performnace bonus from ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.

ONE Fight Night 25 will be aired live and for free to North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.

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Alexey Balyko unbothered by John Lineker challenge at ONE Fight Night 25

Longtime Muay Thai practitioner Alexey Balyko is confident of getting the better of MMA fighter John Lineker in their showdown at ONE Fight Night 25 on Oct. 4. The Russian striker believes 'Hands of Stone' still lacks the necessary skills to truly be a threat at this point in the 'art of eight of limbs'.

The Phuket, Thailand-based fighter shared his take on Lineker ahead of their bantamweight Muay Thai clash at the fight night happening at the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, saying:

"For some reason, Lineker decided to fight in Muay thai, which surprises me a lot. He can't even kick higher than a low kick. If he chose to grapple, I think people would be less surprised. His punches might be heavy, but they are wide and slow."

Balyko has a 3-1 record since making his ONE debut in September last year, with two of his victories coming by way of knockout.