Stephen Loman confident he can overcome John Lineker’s striking in potential rematch: “I already know how to deal with it”

Stephen Loman wants to run it back with John Lineker and put his forgettable display against the Brazilian to bed.

The Team Lakay exponent, a five-time MMA world champion, admits he was far from his usual self when he went toe-to-toe with the former divisional king at ONE Fight Night 14 last month.

While many expected the Filipino warrior to charge ‘Hands of Stone’ with his all-out attacking style, it was the latter who managed to dominate proceedings on his way to a decisive unanimous decision victory.

That defeat has done little to dent Stephen Loman’s spirit, though. Despite being forced to see his perfect promotional run come to an end, it has only made ‘The Sniper’ more aware of the true danger that Lineker possesses.

And he vows to tackle his shortcomings if and when he runs it back against the Brazilian veteran.

He had this to say during an exclusive interview with The MMA Superfan:

“Yes, I already felt his power and the pressure he brings. I already know how to deal with it if we do fight again.”

Nerves do get the better of fighters at times, and Stephen Loman is no different.

Although he may have fallen short on the wrong end of the judges’ scorecard, the 28-year-old from Baguio City has showcased that he has some ferocious tools in his arsenal to hang with the best in the business.

In his debut, ‘The Sniper’ took home a first-round TKO over Yusup Saadulaev. Four months later, he returned in a closely-contested battle against Shoko Sato.

The most recent of his wins came against former ONE bantamweight MMA world champion Bibiano Fernandes at ONE on Prime Video 4 in November last year.

Should he be granted a rematch against Lineker in the unforeseeable future, there’s every reason to believe that the Filipino athlete should have no issue overcoming the veteran before he switches focus to another Brazilian – divisional kingpin, Fabricio Andrade.

Relive his fight against ‘Hands of Stone’ at ONE Fight Night 14 on ONE Championship’s YouTube channel. North American fans with an active subscription can catch the replay via Amazon Prime Video.