John Lineker unimpressed by Stephen Loman’s ONE Fight Night 14 performance: “I expected more”

John Lineker has made a name for himself as a knockout artist who never fails to deliver thrilling performances.

However, the former ONE Bantamweight MMA World Champion and current #1 contender faced #2-ranked Stephen Loman at ONE Fight Night 14 on Prime Video this past September and left the Singapore Indoor Stadium unsatisfied with the outcome.

Despite taking the unanimous decision victory, Lineker felt that Loman under-performed in Singapore.

“I expected more from Loman. I think he was very cautious. He tried to preserve himself more in the fight. He tried to fight without taking any risks to try to win on points. But I think you have to get in the cage and show that you deserve to be there in that position,” he said.

“I’m not belittling him. Loman is a great fighter, a great athlete, and he put together his strategy for our fight. It’s just not the type of strategy I like. Everyone knows that I don’t go into the cage to win on points. I’m going to fight to get the knockout.”

In retrospect, Lineker wanted Loman to be less cautious during their encounter.

“He could have risked a little more so we could put on more of a show. He has a history of knockouts, but in this fight, he left something to be desired,” he said.

While “Hands of Stone” may have wanted more action in the Circle that night, he acknowledged that a win is a win.

“Thank God I managed to get another victory. I did what I always do. I went into the cage to get the knockout. Unfortunately, my opponent came up with a strategy to take me down, but I managed to defend his takedown attempts,” Lineker said.

“I felt really good [and] did my homework. I didn’t get the knockout, but I did my best, as I do in all my fights. I thought I performed well [and showed] that I’m improving in some aspects, such as defending takedowns and also working underneath. So, I’m very satisfied with my performance.”