By Jun Ray Navarres
Team Lakay Stephen “The Sniper” Loman may be new to ONE Championship but he definitely knows who to put at the other side of his scope.
To express that Loman will be closely watching the showdown between reigning ONE Bantamweight World Champion Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes and John “Hands of Stone” Lineker is a massive understatement.
“For sure, Bibiano knows that Lineker packs power in those punches. I expect him to come up with a gameplan to take the match to the ground. I think there’s a huge possibility that he can submit Lineker,” Loman said.
“On the flipside, the key to Lineker is finding his distance and striking at the right time. If he can find his range, and pick his shots from a distance, there’s also a chance that he knocks out Bibiano. He’s a veteran in the game as well. I guess we’ll see what gives.”
The two Brazilian fighters clash in ONE: Lights Out on March 11 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
The Igorot warrior indeed is noting his next assignments after assassinating the “Maestro” Yusup Saadulaev last December.
Despite being a man with a few words, Loman certainly made a huge announcement when he knocked out Yusup in the first round of their clash at ONE: WINTER WARRIORS II, taking the latter’s spot in the athlete rankings.
“I feel happy and proud that I was able to crack the rankings and join the elite names in the division,” Loman, the no-3 ranked bantamweight said.
“But more than that, it motivated me to work even harder cause I know that I’m close to the top, I could be fighting for the title soon, so I have to maintain my focus even more and be ready.”
Yet, Loman is confident that he has still a lot to show to his fans and to the sport.
“I was happy to be able to bring that confidence, having that champion’s mentality in my debut in ONE Championship. I have won championships in other organizations, and that’s one thing that I bring here. I’m also happy that all of the hard work in training showed off,” expressed Loman.
And that mentality’s surely placing him in a good spot for a title contention.
Nonetheless, Loman places his bets on Fernandes to come out victorious in the upcoming match-up.
“If I have to pick between them, I’ll stick with Bibiano,” said Loman.
“I think his grappling will be superior. We also saw in his past fights that he has a complete skillset. He can strike, and we all know how good he is at jiu jitsu. If Bibiano gets his rhythm early in the match, he’ll submit Lineker.”
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