STEPHEN “The Sniper” Loman won’t be looking back with regret, even after his decision to take a risky fight against former ONE Bantamweight MMA World Champion John “Hands of Stone” Lineker backfired.
Stephen Loman on loss to Lineker
With many people expecting Loman to be next in line for reigning divisional king Fabricio “Wonder Boy” Andrade, Loman, the second-ranked contender, decided to take on the dangerous Brazilian and lost a unanimous decision at ONE Fight Night 14: Stamp vs. Ham inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium on 30 September.
The result put an end to Loman's 11-fight win streak as he suffered only the third loss in 20 career fights.
Instead of crying over the decision and what could’ve been, the Filipino is now focused on getting himself back into contention.
“I thought about the risk of going into this fight. Now I want to fight the next challenger just so I can keep my spot in the standings and stay in contention,” he said.
“I’m just happy that I got to face a fighter of his caliber. I didn’t get the win, but I will go back to the drawing (board). I’m going to beat whoever I need to beat so I can keep my place in the rankings.”
For now, all Loman could do is take the positives from that fight and learn from what he did wrong.
The Filipino certainly controlled the fight in the early goings, keeping Lineker guessing with his strikes while mixing it up with his takedowns.
He also absorbed some good shots from the American Top Team heavy hitter and kept going, displaying the durability and conditioning he’s known for.
The problem lied later on in the fight, when the Brazilian finally figured out the Team Lakay standout, disrupting his flow while anticipating his takedowns.
“I think my movement and my wrestling were on point in the early rounds. My strikes were flowing. I was in and out, and the game plan worked at first,” he said.
“I think I faded in the later rounds, especially when he caught my rhythm and timed my takedown attempts. He stuffed my shots and applied pressure. But it’s all right. I know I did my best in that fight.”
Though he struggled to get Lineker to the ground, Loman believes that the best way to hurdle the Brazilian next time – if there is a next time – is by executing better takedowns and using better boxing.
“I should have imposed my wrestling more. I should have timed it better and not allowed him to defend. I should have pushed the pace more,” he said.
“My counterstriking, too. I feel like I could have done a better job. But to [Lineker’s] credit, he was on a different level.”
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