Stephen “The Sniper” Loman understands the situation he’s in right now.
With the Philippines losing its last ONE World Title following Joshua “The Passion” Pacio’s defeat to Jarred “The Monkey God” Brooks last December, Loman knows all eyes are on him to bring a ONE Championship belt back to the proud fighting nation.
“First up, I’d like to say that was still a good fight for Joshua. He might have lost the belt, but I know that he’ll bounce back and win the belt again should they [fight] in a rematch,” he said.
“That said, we have no more [ONE] World Champions here, and being the closest to a World Title shot, it sure adds a bit more pressure to deliver and win it. But that’s part of it, that’s part of the job. Pressure comes within the territory, so I just have to focus on the goal.”
The anticipation is warranted for the Team Lakay star. After all, a lot of people feel like he’s next in line for the ONE Bantamweight World Title, which will be disputed by former king John Lineker and #1-ranked Fabricio Andrade on 25 February at ONE Fight Night 7.
The third-ranked bantamweight contender in Loman went on an absolute tear in 2022, securing convincing wins over Shoko Sato and former ONE Bantamweight World Champion Bibiano Fernandes, and he’s ready to step up to the plate in the hopes of bringing a belt back to the Philippines.
“I feel like I’m totally ready for a championship fight. Whoever ends up winning the belt, I’m excited to face them. I want to beat whoever comes out of that scrap between Lineker and Andrade,” he said.
“I just have to focus [and] step up on my training, so I can hang with whoever ends up winning. I’ll really prepare for it.”
While the pressure is on for Loman, he’s using it as motivation to move forward and become the best fighter he can be.
“I want to make myself better, push myself harder. I want to give myself a chance to take that World Title back home. I have to do my best and focus on what’s ahead,” he said.
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