Stephen Loman says no one can deny his bid vs Fabricio Andrade if he beats John Lineker: “No more qualms”

When Stephen Loman dominated former ONE bantamweight world champion Bibiano Fernandes in November 2022 in their fight and secured his third straight victory under the world’s largest martial arts organization, he was expected to be the next challenger for the reigning ONE bantamweight champion Fabricio Andrade.

But Andrade went on a different route and accepted a champion versus champion showdown with ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion Jonathan Haggerty for the vacant ONE bantamweight kickboxing world title on October 6 at ONE Fight Night 15.

This kept Loman waiting for an extended period of time. So when ONE Championship offered him to fight another former world champion, John Lineker, on September 29 at ONE Fight Night 14, he agreed. It will be a short turnaround for Lineker, as he is coming off a last-second knockout win over Kim Jae Woong on August 4 at ONE Fight Night 13.

‘The Sniper’ had a sitdown interview with ONE Championship recently, and he shared how important this bout with ‘The Hands of Stone’ is and how it can cement his right to challenge Andrade for the 26-pound golden belt.

The Team Lakay standout said:

"I need to get a big win against John Lineker. Then if I [win], I know I’m next for Fabricio Andrade. No more qualms, no more anything — I’m next in line for a championship fight."

Aside from his immaculate 3-0 record under ONE Championship, Loman will also put his 11-fight winning streak on the line, which dates back to April 2016. The last time Loman suffered a defeat was in January 2016.

ONE Fight Night 14 and ONE Fight Night 15 are free for Prime Video subscribers in North America.