By Jun Ray Navarres
Team Lakay phenom Stephen Loman saw an end to his 11-fight winning streak as John Lineker dealt a unanimous decision loss to him at ONE Fight Night 14, Saturday morning (Manila time) at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
The two top-ranked bantamweight fighters of the organization immediately went to work after the sound of the first bell, exchanging stand up blows.
Loman tried to change the tide with a successful two-legged takedown against Lineker, but the latter’s ground game was not to be underestimated as he successfully defended down on the canvass.
Lineker was quick to figure out the timing of Loman’s takedown attempts, effectively parrying on every effort made by the Filipino.
Both fighters slow down the tempo of the second round, carefully choosing their shots. An accidental poke to the eye of Lineker stopped the fight temporarily but he returned more aggressively, dealing massive hooks to Loman.
Lineker continued to dominate the third round, occasionally engaging the crowd, and greatly gaining the momentum. Combined with successful defending of Loman’s struggles to transition the game into a ground tussle, Lineker was clearly dominant.
Loman was also able to land some decent strikes, but Lineker’s volume and quality overpowered the Sniper’s attack, leading to the unanimous decision victory for the Brazilian fighter.
The loss possibly hindered Loman’s quest for the throne while Lineker might get another chance at the reigning ONE Bantamweight Word Champion Fabricio Andrade.
Lineker’s victory improves his professional record to 37-10 while Loman downgrade to 17-3, his first loss since January 2016.
Photo courtesy of ONE Championship
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