“He invented this excuse” – John Lineker lambasts Liam Harrison for pulling out of their scheduled fight

Former ONE bantamweight MMA world champion John Lineker slammed British Muay Thai fighter Liam Harrison for pulling out of their scheduled showdown set for last week. He said his supposed opponent just made up an excuse to dodge him.

The two veteran martial artists were scheduled to mix it up at ONE Fight Night 18 on Prime Video on January 12 in Thailand. That was until Harrison withdrew from the contest in the lead-up as he continues to deal with injury.

‘Hitman’ later stated that he is more interested now in having one last fight in Muay Thai and then calling it a career.

In an interview with Sportskeeda MMA, John Lineker said he was disappointed with Harrison pulling out, while also questioning the reason for it.

‘Hands of Stone’ said:

“I believe he doesn't want to face me in a boxing fight because he knows it will be a problem for him. So he used this excuse of wanting to do a retirement fight in Muay Thai so as not to face me under boxing rules. As I'm a guy who likes challenges, I agreed to fight in his style, which is Muay Thai. But in boxing, he invented this excuse about the retirement fight.”

The Harrison fight would have been John Lineker’s debut in Muay Thai. He has won his last two fights after losing in his push to regain the ONE bantamweight MMA world title against fellow Brazilian Fabricio Andrade last February.

Liam Harrison, meanwhile, has not fought since injuring his knee during his bid for the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title against former champion Nong-O Hama in August 2022.

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John Lineker still hoping showdown with Liam Harrison can still happen

While currently a no-go, John Lineker is hopeful that his showdown with Liam Harrison can still happen at some point in the future.

The ONE Championship superstars were initially pitted against one another in a Muay Thai clash at ONE Fight Night 18 on Prime Video on January 12 in Thailand. Harrison pulled out in the lead-up as he continues to deal with a lingering injury and said later on that he is now more inclined to do a retirement fight in Muay Thai.

John Lineker blasted the British striker’s decision to avoid him altogether but at the same time remained hopeful that Harrison would reconsider.

He shared in the same interview with Sportskeeda MMA:

“I hope this fight can still happen. He injured his knee, unfortunately, the fight won't happen. But who knows? He might gain courage and face me in a boxing fight in the future.”