John Lineker feels Bibiano Fernandes' striking is underwhelming - "I don't feel threatened by his striking"

John Lineker has quickly risen to become the top contender in ONE Championship’s bantamweight division. He believes that there’s nothing Bibiano Fernandes, his next opponent, can do to stop him from taking the world title.

In a recent interview, ‘Hands of Stone’ discussed the strengths that Fernandes brings to their matchup in comparison to his own, saying:

“He’s a black belt, a jiu-jitsu World Champion, and has very good grappling, but I’m very confident. I’m training really hard to nullify all his takedown attempts and all his attempts to take my back. This is my moment, and I believe he’s never fought a guy like me. I’m an aggressive guy who never backs down, who walks forward all the time, and has a very heavy hand. My opponents know this very well, so my confidence is in what I can do and what I’ve done in my past fights. And what I can say is that I’m very prepared to nullify any submission attempt by Bibiano.”

Additionally, Lineker doubts Fernandes' ability to knock him out. He said:

“Bibiano is an athlete who goes for striking too, but I don’t see his striking as a strength. I don’t feel threatened by his striking. Him saying he’s going to knock me out is one thing – getting it is another. I think 70 percent of the opponents I faced also said they were going to knock me out. Some even said that I would see the real “stone hands.” But when you get in the ring, the story is different, the strategy changes, and when they feel my hand, they realize they will have to put me down."

Linker may be talking a big game, but his resume backs up his claims. The last time he was stopped in an MMA match was back in 2012. He will be looking to come away with Fernandes' ONE bantamweight belt when the duo square off at ONE: Bad Blood later this month.

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John Lineker feels Bibiano Fernandes is past his prime

John Lineker believes that Bibiano Fernandes is past his prime, citing the Brazilian's inactivity. During the same interview, Lineker reiterated his belief that the champion's best days are behind him, saying:

“As Bibiano has been out of action for some time, I believe his heyday is over. Today, I don’t see him at his peak, mainly because of the time he was away.”

Fernandes last competed in the Circle at October 2019’s ONE: Century II. That night, he went up against Kevin Belingon for a fourth straight time, putting an end to their rivalry and cementing his position as the undisputed world champion of the division.

In contrast, Lineker has taken out three tough contenders in Muin Gafurov, former world champion Kevin Belingon and Troy Worthen since his arrival in the promotion.