Stephen “The Sniper” Loman understands the enormity of his upcoming match against John “Hands of Stone” Lineker at ONE Fight Night 14: Stamp vs. Ham on September 30 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
The clash between the top two contenders for the ONE Bantamweight MMA World Championship could very well determine the next challenger for the throne of defending titleholder Fabricio “Wonder Boy” Andrade.
And the Team Lakay stalwart has really been taking notes, studying his opponent’s movement that he drew inspiration from one of Lineker’s conquerors—no less than Andrade himself.
“Pinanood ko ‘yung laban nila. Pinanood ko talaga ‘yun at natuto ako sa strengths at weaknesses niya,” he shared.
Andrade and Lineker fought twice, first ending in a no contest at ONE on Prime Video 3 in October 2022 and the following at ONE Fight Night 7 last February where “Wonder Boy” scored a fourth round technical knockout victory to win the crown.
For Loman, Andrade’s gameplan exposed a lot of chink in Lineker’s armor.
“Maganda ‘yung striking ni Andrade, snappy and in and out kaya natatamaan niya si John Lineker. ‘Yung mga ganoong bagay is pwede ko rin i-add sa gameplan ko kaya nire-review ko na lang ‘yung laban at nagpe-prepare ako ng matindi from counters and defense to offense ko rin sa kanya,” he said.
This only bodes well for Loman, with Team Lakay’s wushu background giving him a big boost in terms of his readiness as he braces for Lineker’s impeccable boxing skills.
“‘Yung style namin na may movement is effective as long as tight ang defense namin at maganda ‘yung absorbing namin,” he said. “Effective ‘yun kasi as we move, makaka-gain ka rin ng points, makaka-connect ng tama ‘yung suntok kaya maganda din ‘yung movements namin.”
Could Loman’s wushu overcome Lineker’s boxing? Only time will tell.
This clash will be part of a loaded fight card headlined by Stamp Fairtex, who is looking to become an unprecedented three-sport champion, as she aims to claim the ONE Interim Women’s Atomweight MMA World Championship against decorated MMA star Ham Seo Hee.