Speed bumps are commonplace in mixed martial arts—a reality
John
Lineker knows all too well.
The former
One
Championship bantamweight titleholder will return to action for
the first time in more than five months when he meets
Jae Woong
Kim in a featured
ONE on Prime Video 13 attraction this Friday at Lumpinee Boxing
Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. Lineker finds himself on the rebound
following two ill-fated encounters with countryman
Fabricio
Andrade: the first ended in a no contest, while the rematch
resulted in a fourth-round technical knockout loss. Virtually
nothing went according to plan.
“The strategy was to go for striking and sometimes take the fight
to the ground, but it felt a little difficult in the ring, and at
the end of the rounds, I ended up getting a little tired,” Lineker
said. “That’s when he started to connect with the jabs. I think
what bothered me was the fact that I got tired at the end of the
rounds and couldn’t catch him at the beginning of the rounds.”
The 33-year-old Brazilian pointed to a failure to properly
acclimate as another possible factor in what he considers a subpar
effort against Andrade.
“I believe that if I had arrived earlier, if I had anticipated my
trip to Bangkok to adapt to the climate, [I would have performed
differently],” Lineker said. “This also harmed me a little. I
arrived at the last minute, and I believe that my body ended up not
adapting.”
Extenuating circumstances aside, the man they call “Hands of Stone”
has attempted to put his defeat to Andrade in the rearview mirror.
Months spent refining his skills at
American Top Team worked wonders for Lineker’s psyche.
“I used this time away to make a good recovery—first in my
physique, then in my mind,” he said. “I reflected on how to get
back into the game and how to stay focused, so I worked on the
psychological part a lot. We have been training and focusing more
on what I need to improve. I’ve been trying to perfect myself in
everything: boxing, muay thai and jiu-jitsu.”
Lineker must now get past Kim. The onetime Top Fighting
Championship titleholder owns notable wins over
Seung Woo
Choi,
Tetsuya
Yamada,
Martin
Nguyen and
Kevin
Belingon. Kim last appeared at ONE on Prime Video 6, where he
dropped a unanimous decision to
Shoko Sato on
Jan. 13. He has delivered nine of his 13 career victories by
knockout or technical knockout, six of them inside one round.
“His game is boxing,” Lineker said. “He plays more in the long
distance. He’s very versatile and works well on takedown defense,
and he’s also a guy who kicks a lot. I believe we will put on a
show because we both like striking more. I believe I’ll be able to
fit my punches more, working hard on the punches to the body. I
like to work more in the short distance, and I believe that I can
hit him more with my striking.”
A win, particularly one decisive in nature, could put Lineker in
position for another rematch with Andrade and a shot at reclaiming
the undisputed ONE bantamweight crown.
“What excites me the most about this fight, regardless of the
opponent, is that I have the opportunity to get back in the game
and pursue my goal, which is to fight for the title again,” he
said. “I think that what will excite and motivate me, whatever
fight I do from now on, is this opportunity to seek the title
again. Regardless of the opponent, my goal is to fight for the
title.”