Former ONE bantamweight MMA world champion and current No.1-ranked bantamweight mixed martial arts contender ‘Hands of Stone’ John Lineker is a grizzled veteran in the MMA game. But that doesn’t mean he has stopped learning new things and evolving as a fighter.
The 33-year-old from Paranagua, Brazil recently returned to action at ONE Fight Night 13 in August, and figured in an all-out war with hard-hitting South Korean ‘The Fighting God’ Kim Jae Woong.
Lineker fell behind on the scorecards early, but stormed back in the latter half of the fight to score a third-round technical knockout with less than five seconds to go in the contest, marking one of the most dramatic comeback wins of his career.
But it wasn’t just another highlight-reel win for Lineker. ‘Hands of Stone’ believes the experience has made him a better fighter overall.
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Speaking to ONE Championship in a recent interview, Lineker talked about his experience fighting Kim Jae Woong and how it will help him moving forward.
‘Hands of Stone’ said:
“When I faced Kim Jae Woong, I thought the fight would be fought standing up, just striking, and he surprised me by putting me down. So, taking this fight against Kim Jae Woong as an experience, I need to be prepared for all situations that may happen in the fight.”
Will John Lineker be better equipped to handle an opponent who will be looking to take him down? We’ll know in his next fight.
Lineker is set to face the No.2-ranked ‘The Sniper’ Stephen Loman of the Philippines at ONE Fight Night 14: Stamp vs. Ham on Prime Video.
The event will be broadcast live from the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore on Friday, September 29.
Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action live and absolutely free with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.