John Lineker warns Stephen Loman not to underestimate his grappling: “I have developed a lot”

Former ONE bantamweight world champion, John Lineker, has issued a warning to Filipino fighter Stephen Loman not to underestimate his grappling skills in their scheduled showdown this week.

‘Hands of Stone’ said that while he is known for his knockout power, he has steadily developed his grappling game, and is looking to showcase it against ‘The Sniper.’

The two top bantamweight contenders will collide at ONE Fight Night 14 on Prime Video on September 29 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

At the virtual press conference for the event, John Lineker highlighted that he is a better grappler now than what many think:

“I have developed a lot on my ground game with my grappling and Jiu-Jitsu. I know I always try to go for the knockout, but you know, I have a lot to work with when it comes to the ground that I’m really looking forward to showing you guys.”

Watch the press conference below:

The fighter missed out on reclaiming the bantamweight MMA gold stripped from him last year for missing weight back in February. He lost to fellow Brazilian Fabricio Andrade by technical knockout (corner stoppage) in their clash for the then-vacant world title.

However, he bounced back this August, pulling the rug from under Korean Kim Jae Woong with a last-second TKO win.

Meanwhile, Stephen Loman is gunning for a fourth straight victory in as many matches under ONE Championship. His last victory was over former bantamweight world champion Bibiano Fernandes in November 2022, which he won by unanimous decision.

The Team Lakay athlete was impressive in beating noted grappler Fernandes in his own game. He steadily put pressure on ‘The Flash,’ which eventually wore down the Brazilian legend en route to the win.

ONE Fight Night 14 is available live and for free to Prime Video subscribers in North America.