Brazilian MMA star John Lineker introduced himself to ONE Championship fans in a big way during his sophomore effort against former ONE bantamweight MMA world champion Kevin Belingon at ONE: Inside the Matrix III in Nov. 2020.
After an intense back-and-forth early in the fight, Lineker's stellar boxing skills shone through in the second round when he cracked the Filipino spitfire with an uppercut that led to the TKO finish.
Relive John Lineker's TKO victory below, which ONE shared on YouTube:
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Lineker went on to dethrone ONE bantamweight MMA world champion Bibiano Fernandes in March 2022 with an electrifying second-round knockout.
However, before his first defense against Fabricio Andrade in Oct. 2022, 'Hands of Stone' was stripped of the ONE bantamweight MMA world championship, as he failed to make weight. Their first meeting ended in a no-contest after 'Wonder Boy' inadvertently fired a knee to his groin.
The rematch was booked for Feb. 2023 and they treated fans to an absolute barnburner. Lineker's corner waved off the bout ahead of round five, making Andrade the new king of the 145-pound MMA division.
For his next assignment, the 34-year-old Brazilian will have his Muay Thai debut against Asa Ten Pow at ONE 168: Denver on Sept. 6 inside the Ball Arena.
How John Lineker could pull off the win at ONE 168
John Lineker will face an uphill battle against Asa Ten Pow at ONE 168 due to the American's height and reach advantage.
The American Top Team star would be wise to rip a page out of his Aug. 2023 outing against Kim Jae Woong and let Ten Pow come to him instead.
Playing the role of a counterpuncher could work wonders for Lineker in this fight, though he will need to be selective about when he throws any potential fight-ending blows, as he could leave himself open for the counter.
Watch ONE 168 live inside the Ball Arena on Sept. 6 by purchasing tickets via Ticketmaster.