“You can really feel how much that hurt Lineker” - Stephen Loman doesn’t see John Lineker using low blow as way out

No.5-ranked ONE bantamweight contender Stephen Loman believes John Lineker did everything in his power to carry on with his fight against Fabricio Andrade at ONE on Prime Video 3.

The ONE bantamweight world title remains vacant at the moment after the exhilarating war between the two Brazilians ended in a disappointing no-contest in the third round. As ‘Wonder Boy’ was going in for the kill, he inadvertently nailed Lineker with a punishing knee to the groin that had the former world champion squirming in pain and unable to continue.

Shortly after the bout, Andrade accused ‘Hands of Stone’ of allegedly milking the injury and taking the easy way out in their fight. It appears some fans even shared the same sentiment online. Stephen Loman, however, disagreed and came to Lineker’s defense.

The Team Lakay stalwart said in an exclusive interview with The MMA-Super Fan:

“That knee strike was really unexpected and it did hit Lineker on the groin so you can’t really fault him for using up the whole recovery time. It was a low blow and even though it was an accident, you can really feel how much that hurt Lineker.”

Lineker, of course, took the mandated five-minute injury time-out following that cup-shattering knee strike. Given his heavily-compromised state, the 32-year-old could not muster the strength to go on.

Stephen Loman said he felt bad about the whole ordeal and wished some fans would give Lineker the benefit of the doubt:

“Yes it was unfortunate, but we really just have to accept that it’s what happened. As for the people who say that Lineker took it as a way out, well it’s their opinion.”

Watch the full interview below:

Since it’s pretty much open season in ONE’s bantamweight ranks at the moment, Loman looks to capitalize on the opportunity at hand.

‘The Sniper’ is currently gearing up for the biggest challenge of his MMA career, as he takes on former divisional king and current No.3-ranked Bibiano Fernandes in the main card of ONE on Prime Video 4 on November 18.

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Fabricio Andrade was the sharper fighter over John Lineker, says Stephen Loman

While Loman believes that pundits should cut John Lineker some slack, he thinks that Fabricio Andrade still won that fight. The Filipino striker continued in the same interview:

"Both Andrade and Lineker really showed their striking game but I saw that Andrade was really the sharper one between them. I even saw Lineker shoot for a takedown but even then Andrade still had the advantage. Andrade easily got up after Lineker’s takedown attempt, and that added another layer during their match."

Stephen Loman, meanwhile, has won his first two matches inside the Circle and has once again been given another massive test against Fernandes. If ‘The Sniper’ gets past ‘The Flash’, a match-up against either Andrade or Lineker is a definite possibility somewhere down the line.