John Lineker confident he will become the first man to finish John Dodson

Tonight, in the main event of ‘UFC Fight Night: Portland’, #3 ranked bantamweight John Lineker will square off against former top ranked UFC flyweight John Dodson in a highly anticipated matchup of heavy-handed strikers.

While Dodson has never been knocked out, or submitted, over the course of his 12 year professional career, John Lineker believes that he will live up to his nickname, ‘Hands of Stone’ & become the first man to finish Dodson.

He spoke to MMAFighting:

“He’s a short fighter, and I prefer to fight tall guys, but I did some specific training for him,” Lineker told MMA Fighting. “He’s fast and all that, but I’m ready for his movement and I have a great strategy for this fight. His style is perfect for me because we both love to stand and trade. The only thing I had to focus more is that he’s left-handed, and this is my first time fighting a left-handed. But I’m ready.”

While Lineker was criticized for missing weight once again for his fight with Dodson, marking the fifth time he has missed weight over the course of his UFC career, he believes that a win over ‘The Magician’ will put him in contention for the bantamweight championship.

Lineker will be riding a 5-fight win streak into his bout with Dodson. His most recent three wins have come at the bantamweight division, which he hopes to cement his place at the top of with a win tonight.