John Lineker not rushing to face Superlek, Nico Carrillo, or Jonathan Haggerty: “Maybe in the future”

John Lineker admits he's still the new kid on the block when it comes to Muay Thai and has no desire to challenge the best pure strikers in the world right away.

Despite his status as a former bantamweight MMA world champion, the 34-year-old veteran humbly said he won't jump the line in the stacked 145-pound Muay Thai ranks:

“Right now I'm not thinking about my Muay Thai division. My focus is still on MMA, so I'm not focused on evaluating my Muay Thai division," he told ONE Championship.

Moreover, 'Hands of Stone' expressed disinterest in calling out reigning bantamweight Muay Thai kingpin Superlek Kiatmoo9, or even the top two ranked fighters in the division, Jonathan Haggerty and Nico Carrillo. Lineker added:

"My plan is to do these super fights, but I still don't intend to face big names like Superlek, Nico, and Haggerty. But who knows, maybe in the future, if I perform great, I'll get excited and think about fighting for the Muay Thai bantamweight title?”

Then again, if John Lineker continues his meteoric ascent in 'The Art of Eight Limbs', facing the top dogs might come sooner rather than later, especially if he wins his next fight at ONE Fight Night 27: Tang vs. Abdullaev on Prime Video.

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John Lineker believes his KO power is superior to Kulabdam

After taking out Asa Ten Pow and Alexey Balyko in frightening fashion, John Lineker got a bump in competition in the form of Kulabdam Sor Jor Piek Uthai.

The Thai slugger has been a mainstay in the bantamweight Muay Thai division and is also known for the dynamite tucked away in his fists.

Despite 'Left Meteorite's' edge in Muay Thai experience, Lineker is confident his 'Hands of Stone' will once again power him to another victory:

"It's hard to know who has more power, but I believe that my fights speak for themselves about the heavy hand that I have," he told ONE.

"But I'll find out on the day of the fight if he really has a powerful punch. I can say that, from my fights, my hand is very heavy."

ONE Fight Night 27 will emanate from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. The full event will air live in US primetime on Jan. 10 free for Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.