AS second ranked MMA bantamweight contender Stephen “The Sniper” Loman targets a return to the ONE Championship ring, he believes he’s much better than before.
Experiencing his first loss in seven years in his previous fight, he knows what led to his downfall when he faced former bantamweight king John “Hands of Stone” Lineker.
READ: Loman has no regrets after taking riskier fight vs Lineker leads to rare loss
His biggest takeaway? He should’ve trusted his striking more.
"Yeah, I did not believe in my striking. That's why I turned to wrestling. I [stuck] with my wrestling even though I was connecting with my shots,” Loman said.
“I clocked him with my jabs and straights. When he kicked, I caught it. I should’ve stuck with it to see if I could get him with my striking.”
Unlike most Filipino fighters who felt the need to level up their wrestling and overall grappling, “The Sniper” feels a bit differently.
He wasn’t just merely avoiding striking with the man known as “Hands of Stone” because of the Brazilian’s power; Loman said that it was a confidence issue.
Loman’s actually one of the better wrestlers and grapplers in the country, but he insists that until he feels comfortable with his striking, he won’t be able to put his ground game to good use.
“If my counter had been wrestling, all I did was just shoot for the takedown without even setting it up with my strikes,” he said.
“I think I really lacked the timing, the set-ups, and I just vanished. My offense just vanished. He defended everything.”
While most Filipino fighters would say they need to work on their grappling, Loman’s the complete opposite – it’s his striking that he believes needs polishing if he wants to make it to the next level.
“Those were the lessons I learned. I need to improve on my mistakes and improve my striking,” Loman said.
“I am really lacking in boxing. I’ll improve on everything – set-ups, timing, boxing, everything really. So I can be a complete fighter.”
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