A New Dawn, A New Day
The career resurgence of John Lineker in ONE Championship continued on Friday night as he picked up his second consecutive professional Muay Thai victory in dynamic fashion, knocking out Alexey Balyko inside the opening round. “Hands of Stone” came into this fight at ONE Fight Night 25 hot off the heels of a sensational Muay Thai debut just four weeks earlier, where he knocked out Asa Ten Pow at ONE 168 in Denver, Colorado.
The Brazilian looks tailor-made for ‘the art of eight limbs’ and all of his trademark traits were on show during this outing at the fabled Lumpinee Stadium in Thailand. His suffocating forward pressure and his other-worldly power proved far too much for his opponent to handle, as he dropped the Russian to the canvas on three separate occasions in the opening stanza.
Weapons Of Mass Destruction
Lineker’s left hook was the weapon that did the damage. He was able to time the shot perfectly to counter that of the much taller Balyko, sneaking in over the Balyko’s right shoulder and sending him crashing to the floor. After a standing eight count from referee Olivier Coste, Lineker got right back to work and found a home for the same strike again. Two knockdowns in just 16 seconds left Balyko skating on thin ice.
In true Lineker fashion, he turned up the heat once he smelled blood in the water and unleashed a flurry of wild shots to Balyko’s body before coming back upstairs with the hook, and Coste was forced to step in and wave the fight off.
A History Of Violence
Lineker fought in the UFC between 2012-2019, predominantly in the flyweight division, although consistent struggles with the scale saw him eventually forced into a move up to 135 lbs. His exciting style and the nuclear power in his hands made him one of the most exciting fighters in the lower weight classes, and he racked up victories inside the Octagon against some stellar names such as Ian McCall, John Dodson, Rob Font and Marlon Vera.
His move to ONE Championship couldn’t have begun in better fashion. Four consecutive victories, culminating in a breathtaking knockout win over Bibiano Fernandes which won him the featherweight title, proved Lineker one of the best fighters outside of the UFC. But after losing his belt early last year to Fabricio Andrade, he was forced to rebuild. Victories over Jae Woong Kim and Stephen Loman earned him another high profile match up Shinya Aoki, but a first-round submission defeat against the PRIDE veteran have left Lineker at a crossroads in his career.
His transition into Muay Thai looks like it might just be a match made in heaven. Lineker was initially paired against Liam Harrison in January, but the Englishman fell out of that fight due to injury. The quickfire wins over Ten Pow and Balyko in the past few weeks have shown us that “Hands of Stone” is more than capable of hanging with some accomplished strikers, and without the threat of any takedowns present, he’s happy to let his shots fly and let the chips fall where they may.
Lineker Calls His Shot
During his post-fight interview, Lineker once again took the opportunity to call for a superfight against one of the promotion’s biggest names, as he said (via a translator): “Chatri…put me to fight against Rodtang! We’re gonna make it happen!” Lineker’s victory over Balyko not only showcased his dynamic style and exceptional power, it looks to have set the table for some exciting match ups in the near future.
