No one would admit it, but Stephen &ldquo;The Sniper&rdquo; Loman knows the high stakes that hang in the balance once he steps inside the ONE Circle at ONE Fight Night 14: Stamp vs. Ham on Saturday at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
Not only is this match against former ONE Bantamweight MMA World Champion John &ldquo;Hands of Stone&rdquo; Lineker open the window for him to move up the ONE Athlete Rankings, this also moves him one step closer to his dream title shot.
&ldquo;My opponent is the no. 1-ranked contender, so I need to do my best so that a win over John will put me at no. 1,&rdquo; he said.
It&rsquo;s a golden opportunity for the Team Lakay stud who has staked his claim to be the next challenger to the throne currently occupied by Fabricio &ldquo;Wonder Boy&rdquo; Andrade.
But truth be told, this also gives a surreal feeling for Loman who admitted that he was looking up to Lineker when he was still with other promotions.
&ldquo;Before, I was just watching John and he was very interesting because he can knock his opponents out,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I know how dangerous he is and that&rsquo;s why I really studied his tendencies.&rdquo;
Now, not only will have to meet one of his idols but also conquer him as Lineker stands in Loman&rsquo;s way of reaching the top.
&ldquo;This is the biggest opportunity for me because a big win for me over John means the chance to challenge for the championship. It&rsquo;s important for me to get that,&rdquo; he said.
&ldquo;I put more time in my training for this fight to really work on my strengths and weaknesses and I&rsquo;ve never prepared harder for any fight than this.&rdquo;

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Loman sees Lineker as last hump before dream title shot