“See what the future holds for me” - John Lineker excited for upcoming kickboxing debut against Hiroki Akimoto at ONE 172

John Lineker is focused on "seeing what happens" in his upcoming kickboxing bout at ONE 172.

Over the last five months, Lineker has temporarily left MMA to pursue Muay Thai competitions. The Brazilian secured back-to-back knockout wins before his momentum was halted due to a unanimous decision defeat against Kulabdam.

Before potentially returning to MMA, Lineker will challenge himself in another sport with a kickboxing bout on March 23 at ONE 172.

'Hands of Stone' has been matched up against former bantamweight kickboxing world champion Hiroki Akimoto, who's coming off three consecutive losses.

During an interview with ONE, Lineker had this to say:

“Of course, my focus is MMA, but the fights I was doing were getting me really excited. When we’re winning, we get really excited, right? But let’s see what happens. Now I want to move on and see what the future holds for me.”

Hiroki Akimoto vs. John Lineker will be featured on the stacked ONE 172 fight card, which goes down inside the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

The March 23 main event showcases a must-see non-title flyweight kickboxing bout between Japanese legend Takeru Segawa and Thai superstar Rodtang.

ONE 172 also features five world title fights, including world champion Superlek and interim titleholder Nabil Anane battling for the undisputed bantamweight Muay Thai throne.

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John Lineker looks to solidify himself as bantamweight contender in third sport

John Lineker's last two fights in the ONE bantamweight MMA division were wins against Kim Jae Woong and Stephen Loman.

Once Lineker returns to MMA, he's expected to be a primary option to challenge bantamweight king Fabricio Andrade. They have fought twice in the past, with the first being a no contest and Andrade winning the second by TKO.

As for Muay Thai, Lineker lost a close decision against the well-respected Kulabdam. Although he didn't win, the Brazilian superstar proved to be a potential world title challenger if he commits to 'The Art of Eight Limbs'.

Lastly, Hiroki Akimoto is a former world champion in the ONE bantamweight kickboxing division. With a win at ONE 172, Lineker would quickly establish a strong presence in the division's title picture.