Former ONE Bantamweight MMA World Champion John Lineker has taken to Muay Thai in ONE Championship like a duck to water. But even after amassing two knockouts in as many outings in the striking art, he still has his heart set elsewhere.
"Hands of Stone" knocked out Alexey Balyko inside the first frame of their bantamweight Muay Thai tie at ONE Fight Night 25 this past Saturday, 5th October, inside Bangkok, Thailand's Lumpinee Stadium to announce that he is no flash in the pan.
Fans had long wondered how well the MMA superstar would fare in Muay Thai, given his reputation for finishing his fights with fists, and they've certainly got their answer. But despite his dominance, Lineker's focus seems centered around MMA.
"Yeah, my focus is in MMA, but I'm really enjoying fighting Muay Thai, you know? Especially because this is more striking," he stated.
"So I don't need to be very worried when they want to take me down, this kind of thing. But my focus is MMA."
Lineker claimed the ONE Bantamweight MMA World Title from longtime titleholder Bibiano Fernandes in March 2022 at ONE: LIGHTS OUT but parted ways with it in heartbreaking circumstances right before his first defence against Fabricio Andrade at ONE on Prime Video 3 that October.
The 34-year-old was stripped of the coveted belt for missing weight, and he failed to regain it when they met a second time in February 2023. A trilogy matchup with "Wonder Boy" hasn't been far from his mind since, and it remains at the top of his wishlist.
Nonetheless, Lineker's success in Muay Thai has got him thinking about his future in the sport, and he can't help but name ONE Championship's flyweight king as someone he would like to test his skills against.
"At this moment, I would like to fight against Rodtang in Muay Thai, and in MMA, I'd like to have a trilogy with Fabricio Andrade," he said.
"It doesn't depend on me. It depends on ONE. I've called him out already. So now I need to wait and see if the boss will make it happen."
