“I want to test myself more” - John Lineker shares his motivation in Muay Thai transition against Asa Ten Pow
Veteran MMA fighter John Lineker knows that he is up for a huge challenge in his next fight, as he is set to compete in Muay Thai. He, however, is undeterred by the change in rulesets, and is determined to keep improving at this stage of his career.
The seasoned Brazilian martial artist will make his debut in the 'Art of Eight Limbs' at ONE 168 in Denver, Colorado, U.S.A., on Sept. 6, going up against American fighter Asa Ten Pow in a bantamweight Muay Thai joust.
Speaking to ONE Championship in an interview, John Lineker touched on the motivation that prompted him to take on the challenge in competing in Muay Thai.
'Hands of Stone' said:
"It's going to be a very tough fight! It's going to be a great show because it's going to be all about striking."
Lineker added:
"Everything is on the table. I want to test myself more and more. But my focus is MMA. That's where I want to continue working."
John Lineker lost to Japanese legend Shinya Aoki in an openweight MMA clash in his last fight back in Jan. 2024. The contest, however, was put together at a moment's notice.
At ONE 168, he is up against an opponent in Ten Pow, who has won back-to-back matches after opening his ONE Championship journey with a loss.
The Ball Arena in Denver, home of the NBA's Denver Nuggets, will serve as the venue for ONE 168, which will air live and for free at U.S. primetime to North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription. Tickets for the event are available for purchase on Ticketmaster.
John Lineker has no plans of retiring soon
John Lineker has been competing as a professional fighter for almost two decades now, and doesn't plan on stopping anytime soon.
He said so in an interview with ONE Championship, and spoke on how he wants to take on more matches, even outside of his traditional lane of MMA like in his scheduled match at ONE 168: Denver on Sept. 6.
The 34-year-old American Top Team affiliate said:
"I plan to fight for another five or six years. That's my goal. I want to be able to do as many fights as possible during this period so that I can then retire, rest, and enjoy my family more."
John Lineker made his ONE debut in Oct. 2019 and has had steady success since then, even capturing the bantamweight MMA world title at one point.