"My main focus is still in MMA" - Former bantamweight champ John Lineker says Muay Thai debut is just a detour

Former ONE bantamweight MMA world champion John Lineker has achieved and seen a lot during his career. At 34 years old, the veteran is just one fight away from hitting the big 50 in his MMA career which began back in 2008.

However, at this stage in his career, Lineker is excited to take on a new challenge that he hasn't experienced yet. The Brazilian knockout artist will be competing in his first Muay Thai contest when he returns to action at ONE 168 in Denver.

'Hands of Stone', if you couldn't tell from his nickname, has always been known for his explosive striking but now he will put it to the test against Asa Ten Pow.

During the press conference ahead of the Sept. 6 event at the Ball Arena, Lineker spoke about how this clash isn't a change of focus for him. The former champ clarified that he is still an MMA fighter by trade and he return to the sport after completing this side quest:

"So this was a challenge that I accepted, and my main focus is still in MMA. But I want to say thank you to ONE Championship for giving me this opportunity to fight here in Muay Thai, but my focus is on MMA."

Watch the full interview below:

John Lineker is still as dangerous as ever

John Lineker may be stepping away from MMA for this fight but that doesn't say anything about the current state of his career.

When competing in his natural weight class of bantamweight, the fan-favorite fighter has produced back-to-back wins over top contenders to rebound from losing his title.

His fight against Kim Jae Woong in particular once again showed why Lineker is still an opponent that has to be taken seriously at all times because even when he's moments away from likely losing the fight on the scorecards, he's able to close the show with his ruthless knockout power.

Tickets for ONE 168: Denver are available via Ticketmaster