Stephen Loman seeks to prove his worthiness for a shot at the coveted ONE bantamweight championship.
Instead of facing division kingpin Fabricio Andrade as initially anticipated, Loman is set to share the Circle with former champion John Lineker in what promises to be a defining clash at ONE Fight Night 14 on September 30th at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
Holding a remarkable record of 17-2, Loman is currently riding high on an 11-bout winning streak, which he first established back in April 2016.
The 28-year-old Ifugao native has been nothing short of impressive since he arrived in ONE Championship two years ago, defeating his last three opponents in dominant fashion.
“The Sniper” clinched the biggest win of his professional career yet when he manhandled the legendary Bibiano Fernandes for three rounds with his high-impact takedowns and overpowering top control to cruise to a crystal-clear unanimous decision victory in November 2022.
(C) ONEFC.com
Loman lures another high-profile opponent who once held the gold-plated strap in the weight class, Lineker, a veteran of the sport who totes a win-loss slate of 36-10 and needs no further introduction to the most hardcore fans.
The past 10 months have been a rollercoaster ride of emotions for Lineker, starting with his misfortune on the scales in October 2022. He was stripped of the belt for missing weight in his scheduled title defense against Fabricio Andrade.
Although the bout still pushed through, it ended in a no-contest after Andrade landed an inadvertent knee to the groin in the second round, rendering Lineker unable to continue.
Both men ran it back for the vacant title this past March, but this time around, Andrade came out triumphant by forcing Lineker to throw in the towel before the fifth round.
Though he went through another mishap during the weigh-in for his most recent assignment against Kim Jae Woong last August 5, Lineker made up for it by knocking out the South Korean with mere seconds left in the third round of their catchweight duel.
The hard-hitting Team Lakay member may be entering the three-round encounter with momentum, but Lineker still poses to be a formidable foe due to his battle-tested experience.
Loman will be joined on the card by former stablemate Eduard Folayang, who is set to lock horns with Singaporean rival Amir Khan in a rematch.
