John Lineker on last gasp KO of Kim Jae Woong: “I don’t like leaving it to the judges”

John Lineker proved once more that a champion’s heart is eternal.

The former ONE bantamweight world champion could’ve been on the wrong end of a decision call when he faced Kim Jae Woong at ONE Fight Night 13 this past weekend at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.

Kim was stellar in the first 14 minutes of the fight against Lineker. That was, however, only until he got caught with a bone-crushing left hook that sent him crashing near the ropes.

Lineker jumped in and launched a merciless ground-and-pound assault to secure the technical knockout win with four seconds left in the fight.

In an interview with South China Morning Post, Lineker admitted that he wasn’t feeling at his best before sending Kim to the phantom zone.

The Brazilian star added that he didn’t want to leave his fate to the judges, which is why he went after Kim with reckless abandon in the fight’s final 10 seconds.

Lineker said:

“I don’t like leaving it to the judges. I go out there for the knockout so it was not a comfortable moment for me but I went for the knockout.”

Kim, a fearsome knockout artist with a 100 percent finish rate in ONE Championship, had success against Lineker for much of the contest.

The 5-foot-8 South Korean star was five inches taller than Lineker and he used that height and reach advantage to tag the bantamweight king from a distance.

Lineker, just as he’s done all his career, used his deceptive footwork and cut the distance between him and Kim. After getting into range, Lineker used his trademark double-hook combination to put Kim down, eventually prompting the referee to call a stop to the contest.

The win was an incredible comeback for Lineker as he makes his way back to world title contention and potentially challenge Fabricio Andrade for the ONE bantamweight world title in the future.

Watch Lineker's entire interview below: