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Filipino contender Stephen Loman has to wait for some time more before getting his shot at the ONE bantamweight world title against reigning champion Fabricio Andrade.
The Team Lakay standout, however, is fine with it, recognizing that such delays are part of the trade.
‘The Sniper’ was widely believed to be next for ‘Wonder Boy’ after the latter claimed the vacant ONE bantamweight world title back in February.
Stephen Loman is currently the No. 2 contender in the division, just behind top-ranked John Lineker, the former bantamweight world champion and the one that Fabricio Andrade defeated to become the new king in the weight class.
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But instead of the Filipino contender facing off against the reigning ONE bantamweight world champion, it was recently announced that Fabricio Andrade will instead battle British striker Jonathan Haggerty in a champion-versus-champion clash for the vacant kickboxing world title in the division in October.
In an interview with The MMA Superfan, Stephen Loman shared his thoughts on the delayed showdown with ‘Wonder Boy,’ saying:
“I was really expecting that I would be the next one to fight Andrade because it’s what he’s been saying in his interviews.”
He went on to say:
“He said several options in those interviews, he also said that he wants to fight in other matches and not just in MMA. So that’s what happened here, he’s going to fight Haggerty. That fight was set up, but it’s really not a problem for me. It’s okay for me because I can watch two of the best strikers go at it. For me, that’s okay. It’s normal.”
Stephen Loman has steadily climbed the rankings in the division by winning all of his three fights to date in ONE Championship.
His last victory was in November of 2022 at the expense of former bantamweight world champion Bibiano Fernandes, winning by unanimous decision.
As he awaits for his next fight, ‘The Sniper’ is in their Team Lakay home base of Baguio, Philippines, sharpening his game and preparing himself when his number is called.
