“I’ll take it as a man” – Stephen Loman addresses disheartening loss to John Lineker

Second-ranked ONE bantamweight MMA contender Stephen Loman acknowledged his shortcomings against John Lineker at ONE Fight Night 14 last month.

After going 3-0 under the world’s largest martial arts organization, ‘The Sniper’ was in pole position for a world title shot against the division’s kingpin Fabricio Andrade.

Now, Loman understands he likely squandered that opportunity after a heartbreaking unanimous decision loss to ‘Hands of Stone’.

In an interview with The MMA Superfan, the Filipino star said he only has himself to blame for his rather uninspired performance against the former bantamweight MMA world champion.

He also vowed to come back stronger and keep his head up high:

“Yeah, unfortunately, we lost. I’ll take this loss as a fighter and use it as motivation to hone my skills further and absorb more knowledge. A loss is a loss. I’ll take it as a man.”

Watch the entirety of Stephen Loman’s interview below:

Loman started off well against Lineker, as he took the Brazilian down early with a well-timed single-leg shot. However, he couldn’t maintain the dominant position, as the powerful veteran turned the tables and initiated a stand-up war.

Wary of Lineker’s concussive power, Loman appeared gun-shy and was hesitant to exchange. Moreover, his takedown attempts became more predictable in the ensuing rounds and was admittedly outclassed after 15 minutes of action.

Despite the setback, the 28-year-old from Baguio has opted to look on the bright side of things. That loss opened his eyes to the holes he needs to fix in his game.

Stephen Loman will surely put on the work and become a more complete fighter in his quest for ONE gold.

The replay of ONE Fight Night 14 is available anytime on demand for Amazon Prime Video subscribers in North America