Brazilian MMA star John Lineker proved why he is called 'Hands of Stone' inside the circle after a spectacular showing in his bantamweight Muay Thai debut at ONE 168: Denver on Sept. 6 inside the Ball Arena against Asa Ten Pow.
Despite Ten Pow having the advantage of competing in the 'art of eight limbs' for much longer, Lineker had no problem walking down 'The American Ninja' en route to a thunderous one-shot knockout late in the second round.
Watch the full video below:
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Lineker's fearsome punching power was at the forefront of his superb run in MMA. He has four finishes in his six MMA wins under the ONE banner, including his violent dethroning of then-ONE bantamweight MMA world champion Bibiano Fernandes in March 2022.
Because of his spectacular Muay Thai debut, Lineker received a $50,000 performance bonus from ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.
Demetrious Johnson's visceral reaction to John Lineker's knockout win at ONE 168: Denver
Once-in-a-generation MMA fighter Demetrious Johnson was closely watching John Lineker's Muay Thai debut against Asa Ten Pow in the backstage area ahead of his retirement speech at ONE 168: Denver.
Giving fans a behind-the-scenes, all-access look on his YouTube channel, the inaugural inductee to the ONE Championship Hall of Fame had this to say about Lineker's knockout win over the Florida Kickboxing Academy product:
"F***ing John Lineker! He just beats the f**k out of people. Jesus Christ, that guy hits so f***ing hard. He worked the f**k out of him."
Watch the video below starting from the 10:33 mark:
Fans in the United States and Canada with an active Prime Video subscription can rewatch ONE 168: Denver via the full fight replay.