John Lineker, a former champion at the bantamweight division of ONE Championship, does not believe the story that his best days are already behind him.
Because of this, “Hands of Stone” is confident that he will reclaim the 145-pound title, and the first step on the road to reclaiming his former kingdom will be taken at ONE Fight Night 13: Allazov vs. Grigorian, which will be available on Prime Video.
On August 4, inside of Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium, Lineker will be trading heavy bombs with fellow knockout artist Kim Jae Woong. The fight will take place.
The top-ranked 145-pound fighter knows that he has a lot to lose in this bout against the unranked Korean, who will be seeking to break into the top five at his expense. The boxer is well aware of the stakes involved in this fight.
On the other hand, Lineker is aware that a convincing victory over ‘The Fighting God’ should keep him in the running for a potential rematch with Fabricio Andrade, who is currently the undisputed master of the division.
This was made very evident in a recent interview that the Singapore-based group conducted with the American Top Team affiliate:
“What excites me the most about this fight, regardless of the opponent, is that I have the opportunity to get back into the game and pursue my goal, which is to fight for the title again.”
After gaining a reputation as one of the most dangerous headhunters in North America, Lineker entered the ONE Championship with guns blazing and proceeded to rack up four consecutive victories to earn the bantamweight world title.
However, he was unable to overcome his fellow Brazilian ‘Wonder Boy,’ who defeated him in consecutive fights to end his undefeated streak. This was a major setback for him.
During their first fight against each other a year ago, Andrade completely outclassed Lineker until the referee made the controversial decision to rule there was no contest. He put an end to the challenge at ONE Fight Night 7 in February of last year, which marked the beginning of his tenure as world champion.
We’ll find out if Lineker can begin a new winning streak against Kim and earn his way back to a rematch with Andrade by the end of this round.
Existing Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada will be able to watch ONE Fight Night 13 live and for free during primetime in the United States.
