“I should always be ready” - Alexey Balyko had no issue taking short-notice fight against KO machine John Lineker
Alexey Balyko doesn't need much time to get into optimal fighting shape.
The Russian knockout merchant readily accepted to take on fellow striking menace John Lineker in a bantamweight Muay Thai match despite its short notice ahead of ONE Fight Night 25 this Friday, US primetime, at Lumpinee Stadium.
In an interview with ONE Championship, Balyko said he's always stayed within fighting shape in case the promotion wanted him on a card.
That dedication to his craft easily allowed Balyko to sign the dotted line for his bantamweight Muay Thai showdown against Lineker in Bangkok.
Alexey Balyko said:
"I always try to stay in good physical shape, and for me, taking fights on short notice isn’t a problem. I’m a fighter, I should always be ready."
Balyko has 23 wins in his professional career, three of which took place under the ONE Championship banner.
The Tiger Muay Thai star also owns two highlight-reel knockout wins against Suakim Sor Jor Tongprajin and Stefan Korodi.
Lineker, however, is arguably the hardest pound-for-pound puncher in MMA. The former ONE bantamweight MMA world champion has seven wins in ONE Championship and an absurd 71.43 percent finish rate.
'Hands of Stone' is coming off a successful Muay Thai debut when he sent American star Asa Ten Pow to the shadow realm via second-round knockout at ONE 168: Denver in September.
The collision of Balyko and Lineker, and the entire ONE Fight Night 25 card, is available live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.
Alexey Balyko isn't too impressed with John Lineker's striking
For a good reason, John Lineker is one of the most feared strikers on the planet, but Alexey Balyko is far from scared of the former bantamweight MMA king.
In the same interview with ONE Championship, Balyko said he's not too impressed with Lineker as a striker and that the Brazilian knockout merchant has a limited Muay Thai skillset:
"For some reason, Lineker decided to fight in Muay Thai, which surprises me a lot. He can't even kick higher than a low kick. If he chose to grapple, I think people would be less surprised. His punches might be heavy, but they are wide and slow."