By Jun Ray Navarres
Team Lakay Stephen Loman inches closer to a Bantamweight world title contention as he moves up to the second spot in the ONE Athlete rankings.
The aftermath of ONE Fight Night 7 last February 25 changed the structure of the weight class top fighters with Fabricio Andrade reigning on top after besting compatriot John Lineker.
The Brazilian captured the then-vacant World Title by beating arch-nemesis Lineker by way of corner stoppage before the start of the fifth round in their rematch at the recently concluded ONE Fight Night 7.
Immediately after the night, the new kingpin was quick to acknowledge the Filipino rising star. Andrade believes that Loman deserves a chance at challenging the golden plated strap from him.
“I intend to fight as soon as possible, but it will depend on my recovery. I will do everything to recover quickly and to get back inside the ONE Circle. And next in line is Stephen Loman. So, he can start training now,” said Andrade.
“Loman beat a former World Champion in his last fight and should be the next to get a title shot.”
The Sniper is still undefeated under the Singapore based fighting organization and has come up dominant against Bibiano Fernandes in his last outing in November 2022. Loman showed mastery of his craft to clinch the clear-cut unanimous decision win.
In his debut, Loman also assassinated “The Maestro” Yusup Saadulaev to make a name in the division and immediately join the rankings. Loman also has scored a unanimous decision win against Shoko Sato – who also reentered the list at No. 5.
ONE Championship’s official Athlete Rankings are determined by an independent panel of sports media members and industry experts following each event. The panel rates the fighters on criteria including wins and losses, their most recent performances, and the quality of competition.
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