Stephen Loman admits John Lineker’s crisper boxing powered him to victory: “I was okay with the decision”

Stephen Loman took no issue with John Lineker’s decision victory at ONE Fight Night 14.

Less than eight weeks removed from his impressive buzzer-beating knockout of Kim Jae Woong at ONE Fight Night 13, John Lineker returned to the circle for a high-stakes clash with fellow top five-ranked contender Stephen Loman.

After three rounds of entertaining action, ‘Hands of Stone’ emerged victorious, securing his second-straight victory following his devastating defeat at the hands of reigning ONE bantamweight MMA world champion Fabricio Andrade in February. With his wins over Kim and Loman, Lineker will likely find himself in pole position for another shot at Andrade’s 26 pounds of gold.

Looking back on the bout in an interview with The MMA Superfan, Stephen Loman believes the bout was relatively close but Lineker’s heavy hands are what likely made the difference:

“I wasn’t surprised that he got the decision win,” Loman admitted. “However, I do feel that I also had my moments with my wrestling and my control. But I think he landed his power shots and that scored more in the eyes of the judges. His boxing was better and I think that’s why he won. I was okay with the decision.”

See the full interview below:

Previously thought to be the next man in line for a title opportunity, Stephen Loman will take a step back in line and likely need one more win before he can get back into world title contention.

As for John Lineker, the Brazilian knockout artist would love the opportunity to complete his trilogy with Fabricio Andrade, but staying active is the most important thing.

If you missed any of the action or want to relive an epic night in ONE Championship history, the ONE Fight Night 14 replay can be watched anytime on demand via Amazon Prime Video in North America.