John Lineker blasts Stephen Loman’s failed strategy: “It’s just not the type of strategy I like”

Whenever John Lineker steps into the cage with an opponent, he expects to throw down with bad intent. But when the former ONE bantamweight MMA world champion met No.2-ranked contender ‘The Sniper’ Stephen Loman a couple of weeks ago, he didn’t get the fight he wanted.

Instead, Lineker was met with a tactical battle, one that he had to win with his vaunted ‘Hands of Stone’ yet again.

Lineker battled Loman at ONE Fight Night 14: Stamp vs. Ham on Prime Video, which went down at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore on September 30. The Brazilian veteran showed incredible form, stuffing most of Loman’s takedown attempts while beating him on the feet.

It was a comprehensive performance from ‘Hands of Stone’, who proved once more that he is as elite a bantamweight as they come.

In a recent interview with ONE Championship, Lineker expressed frustration at Loman, who came in with a timid and reserved game plan.

The former ONE bantamweight king said:

“I’m not belittling him. Loman is a great fighter, a great athlete, and he put together his strategy for our fight. It’s just not the type of strategy I like. Everyone knows that I don’t go into the cage to win on points. I’m going to fight to get the knockout.”

Lineker is known for his highlight-reel knockouts. But when an opponent refuses to engage and just plays it safe, things can get pretty frustrating indeed.

Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action of ONE Fight Night 14 via replay on Amazon Prime Video.

What’s next for John Lineker? A rumored special-rules striking showdown with Liam Harrison seems to be in the works. ONE Championship said a couple of weeks ago that they were trying to make this fight happen. However, Harrison, who is recovering from an ACL injury, has yet to be cleared by his doctors to return to full training camp.

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the news and updates on John Lineker’s next fight.