John Lineker reveals Kim Jae Woong’s wrestling was the last thing he expected: “He surprised me”

At ONE Fight Night 13, John Lineker returned to the ONE Championship stage to try and rebound in the bantamweight division.

Stepping back inside the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, for the first time since being defeated by Fabricio Andrade earlier this year, the former world champion came with a point to prove.

While both Lineker and the fans were expecting a brawl between ‘Hands of Stone’ and his opponent Kim Jae Woong, the South Korean contender produced a measured performance.

Staying behind his jab and mixing up takedowns provided some difficulties for Lineker. But eventually, the relentless pace, pressure and devastating power of the Brazilian found its way through.

Producing a buzzer-beater finish, the former bantamweight title holder was able to steal the fight in the final moments after dropping his opponent and getting the stoppage with his follow-up strikes.

After the fight, John Lineker reflected on his performance and how it was affected by the game plan that Kim Jae Woong brought to the ONE Championship circle.

In his post-event interviews, ‘Hands of Stone’ admitted that he was surprised by his opponent’s approach but his well-rounded game allowed him to adapt to whatever was thrown at him:

“Yeah, he did surprise me. I didn’t expect him to come wrestling. He surprised me when he got me down but I have a very good jiu-jitsu instructor.”

After getting back in the win column, Lineker is now targeting a fight with one of the top contenders in the division as he looks to reclaim the world championship that he previously held.

North American viewers can rewatch all the action from ONE Fight Night 13 via the free event replay on Amazon Prime Video.