There are plenty of MMA fighters with nicknames that don’t quite seem to fit them, but there’s a clear reason that John Lineker is known as “Hands of Stone”.
Lineker began the year as ONE Championship’s 145 lbs. titleholder, but after his first fight with Fabricio de Andrade ended in a No Contest, the immediate rematch between the two Brazilians saw “Wonder Boy” come out on top.
The result marked the first loss Lineker had suffered since joining ONE Championship from the UFC in 2019. After taking some time to recover from the damage sustained against de Andrade, “Hands of Stone” was booked for a return at ONE Fight Night 13 against promotional veteran Kim Jae Woong.
Things didn’t end up being easy for the former champion when he took on Kim in Bangkok’s famed Lumpinee Stadium, and as time in the final round slowly ticked away it appeared as if Lineker was set to lose a decision.
Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz 3: Both Fighters Confirm Plans for UFC Trilogy Rematch
Rather than leave his fate in the hands of the judges, Lineker unloaded with one of his classic heavy-handed combinations and floored the South Korean before diving in to end things with just seconds left in the fight.
The dramatic result handed Kim his second-straight loss, while Lineker narrowly avoided dropping back-to-back fights for the first time since 2009.
“Hands of Stone” now has four knockouts out of his five wins in ONE Championship, and perhaps the UFC veteran will hope the impressive finish was enough to earn him a third fight with de Andrade to try and reclaim his belt.
More must-reads: