John Lineker keen to take a break before resuming his quest to reclaim MMA gold: “Maybe in March next year”
After scoring back-to-back knockouts in a month, John Lineker is looking to take a little time off before returning the mixed martial arts.
The former ONE bantamweight MMA world champion made a spectacular debut in the art of eight limbs in September, earning a big second-round KO against 'The American Ninja' Asa Ten Pow at ONE 168: Denver.
Ready to jump right back into the fire, 'Hands of Stone' returned a month later at ONE Fight Night 25 inside the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, for another Muay Thai scrap—this time against Russian knockout artist Alexey Balyko.
Lineker finished things just past the two-minute mark of the opening round with a spectacular flurry against the ropes punctuated by a brutal right hook that sent Balyko crashing to the canvas.
Asked what comes next during a post-event interview, Lineker revealed that he'll be taking a little time off, but plans to return to MMA in the first quarter of 2025:
"Now I think about getting some rest and after that, maybe in March next year I will come back to fight in MMA".
If you missed any of the action, ONE Championship fans in the United States and Canada can watch the ONE Fight Night 25 replay on demand via Amazon Prime Video.
John Lineker eyes trilogy fight with Fabricio Andrade
Before finding success in Muay Thai, John Lineker was one of the most destructive forces in ONE Championship's bantamweight MMA division.
Through his first four appearances, he earned knockouts against Kevin Belignon, Troy Worthen, and Bibiano Fernandes to claim the ONE bantamweight MMA world title.
Since then, Lineker surrendered the title to current champion Fabricio Andrade, but after a couple of noteworthy wins against Kim Jae Woong and Stephen Loman, 'Hands of Stone' is right back in the title mix and could find a trilogy fight with 'Wonder Boy' in his near future.
Speaking to Nick Atkin, Lineker added:
"I'm happy to go back to MMA and maybe a trilogy for the belt again".
Are you ready to see Lineker return to MMA for another clash with Andrade?