Stephen Loman thinks he just has to stay ‘patient’ for inevitable shot at bantamweight crown

Stephen Loman is waiting for his opportunity to capture ONE Championship gold.

In February of this year, Fabricio Andrade became the ONE bantamweight MMA world champion with a TKO finish against John Lineker. ‘Wonder Boy’ is now scheduled to fight ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion Jonathan Haggerty on October 6 for the vacant bantamweight kickboxing world title.

After competing in his super-fight against Haggerty, Andrade is expected to defend his MMA throne for the first time. The question is, who will the rising superstar be matched up against?

The most likely option would be Stephen Loman, who holds a promotional record of 3-0. During an interview with The MMA Superfan, Loman had this to say about potentially fighting Andrade:

“If I get the opportunity to finally face him, then I won’t let that chance slip away. But for now, I’ll just be patient.”

Stephen Loman isn’t guaranteed a title shot in his next ONE Championship appearance.

On August 4, former bantamweight king John Lineker knocked out Kim Jae Woong with a highlight-reel knockout at ONE Fight Night 13. As a result, there is a chance the promotion could decide to match Loman and Lineker to determine the number one contender.

Loman made his ONE debut in September 2021, defeating Yusup Saadulaev by a first-round knockout. Since then, the Team Lakay affiliate has secured two more wins, including his latest, against former world champion Bibiano Fernandes in November 2022.

It’ll be intriguing to see if Loman fights again before potentially being matched up against Fabricio Andrade.