Preview for the still unannounced Bibiano Fernandes vs. John Lineker ONE Championship title fight
Brazilian powerhouse John ‘Hands of Stone’ Lineker has made some waves in ONE Championship since his departure from the UFC back in 2019.
Lineker went 12-4 inside the octagon, 6-2 at 125 lbs, and 6-2 at 135 lbs.
His two defeats in the latter division came to former multi-time UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw via unanimous decision, and top contender Cory Sandhagen via split decision in a very, very close affair that could’ve gone either way.
Lineker was released following his defeat to Sandhagen, which brought his record to 31-9, and now he fights at 145 lbs in Asia’s leading mixed martial arts promotion, ONE Championship.
Reasons for his departure?
Well, he had a number of cancelled bouts prior to leaving the UFC, and believe it or not, it was hard for him to consistently make the 136-lb bantamweight limit. He also missed weight three times down at flyweight, before missing the mark twice at bantamweight.
Given these facts, Lineker was released and signed to ONE Championship, where he’s done incredibly well.
Though Lineker’s just 5’3”, he has a 67” reach, and he’s probably the hardest hitting featherweight on the entire roster. Not to mention, he, like his opponents, cut less weight, given ONE’s regulations.
Since moving over, Lineker’s been perfect, going 3-0 against the likes of 16-2 Muin Gafurov (UD), former ONE champion 20-7 Kevin Belingon (TKO), and 7-1 Troy Worthen (KO).
This granted the Brazilian a shot at 11-time ONE bantamweight champion Bibiano Fernandes, who’s also a two-time DREAM featherweight champion, and a multi-time world BJJ champion at the brown and black belt levels.
He boasts a 24-4 record in MMA, and he holds victories over the last two men to defeat him.
That means his two true defeats came in his first three outings, and both were to 15-1 champions, Urijah Faber and Kid Yamamoto, when he was just 1-0 and 1-1 respectively.
Nonetheless, our 24-4 champion now faces a 34-9 challenger following his victory over Kevin Belington in their fourth fight.
That’s interesting huh?
Fernandes has gone 3-1 against Belington, submitting him twice, winning one via DQ, and losing one via split decision. Lineker fought him once and knocked him out.
Isn’t that a perfect contrast of styles?
But, unfortunately, we’ll have to wait to see it go down.
This bout has been rescheduled for a later, to be determined date. As of press time, ONE Championship officials have stated the fight has not yet officially been booked.
But, we do know one thing; when this fight goes down, it’s going to be absolute fireworks!
Everyone loves watching John Lineker fight, and Bibiano Fernandes has been one of the very best talents outside the UFC for years and years now. Who do you see taking it, once they’re in there with one another?
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