John Lineker returns to action at ONE Fight Night 7 on Friday, February 24. The heavy-handed Brazilian will run it back with Fabricio Andrade in the main event for the vacant ONE Bantamweight World Championship. Before their first meeting, Lineker was stripped of the gold for missing weight & hydration. Then, during the match, he suffered a low blow that prevented him from continuing.
But overcoming adversity is nothing new for Lineker. In an interview with ONE Championship, Lineker detailed his upbringing that saw him face bullying head-on and fall in love with combat sports. But his determined attitude was seen from day one at home.
“We were happy children. We played a lot in the street, close to our house. The place where we lived was very humble, but we had a lot of fun on the street, in the rain, stepping in the mud. Our family life was very good. Despite not having much, we were happy,” said Lineker.
The American Top Team standout also recalled how he would chase horses, play soccer, and was a ball of energy in school. He was rambunctious. But he credited his parents for raising him well even if he was, as he described, electric.
School, however, was not all fun and games for Lineker. Due to his height, he was an easy target for bullies. The taller kids would call him a “dwarf” and pat him on the head. Fed up with the torment, Lineker showed early signs of what was to come by taking it to his bullies with ferocity.
“The thing was already heating up, and we solved it right there. My father always said, ‘If you fight in the street and get beaten up, you’ll get beat up at home, too.’ So, I went with everything. I’d rather hit than get beaten twice,” said “Hands of Stone.”
Those same hands would soon be educated. When he was 12 years old, Lineker learned of Acelino Freitas. Learning of the Brazilian boxing World Champion’s story gave Lineker a dream that he, too, could achieve success in combat sports.
“That impacted me. It generated a fire in my heart, something very strong. And that ended up becoming my wish, it became my dream. I already liked to fight, so having martial arts as a lifestyle to support my family was something that really moved me. I started practicing boxing soon after I read this article,” said Lineker.
Although Freitas ignited the flame for what would become his profession, Lineker’s greatest hero remains his father. Even though “Hands of Stone” has achieved the highest of highs in the sport, he is most proud of the man he has become outside of the sport. And that is all thanks to what he learned from the man he looked up to as a child.
“My father was my greatest inspiration, my model of effort, a person who always struggled to bring sustenance into the house and not let the family lack anything. My dad wasn’t much for saying ‘I love you,’ but his actions showed us how much he loved us and how much he wanted to take care of us. That’s why he is my biggest inspiration and my role model,” said Lineker.
ONE Fight Night 7: Lineker vs. Andrade II airs live from Lumpinee Stadium on Friday, February 24. The action begins at 8 p.m. EST/5 p.m. PST. The event is free for all Amazon Prime subscribers located in the U.S. and Canada.
