John Lineker confirms ONE debut for October against dangerous opponent

J. Lineker could debut for ONE FC in October. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook JohnLineker

The expectation for John Lineker's debut for ONE FC was short-lived. Since being released by the UFC at the beginning of July, the athlete needed less than a week to sign a contract with one of the Ultimate competitors and, since then, he has negotiated his debut for his 'new home'. Just over a month, finally, the outcome. The Brazilian will face Muin Gafurov on October 25th, in Jakarta, Indonesia. The information was released by the athlete on his official Twitter account.

See too

Cigano returns to the Octagon against Alexander Volkov in November, says website

Covington and Lawler make weight and lock horns this Saturday at UFC Newark

Covington again provokes Usman: 'I'm going to meet him in a parking lot, but we're going to fight'

John debuted in the UFC in 2012 and, over more than seven years, had 16 fights, winning 12 and suffering four setbacks. The bantamweight athlete (up to 61,2 kg.) began to have his relationship with the company frayed after going public and complaining about not being selected for fights like other opponents in the same division. In the same publication, the Brazilian requested that, if they didn't like his work, he be released. The company then complied with the fighter's request and released Lineker.

Due to his recognized aggressiveness throughout the fights, John received the nickname 'Stone Hands'. With 14 knockouts in his career, the man from Paraná will debut for ONE against an opponent known for, in addition to his knockout ability, his quality in submissions. Of the 15 victories in his professional record, Muin has eight knockouts and seven submissions. The only two results in which the fight was not finished before the clock ended were their defeats by judges' decision; both in 2016.

John is not the first case of Ultimate athletes migrating to ONE. Recently, Eddie Alvarez, former lightweight champion (up to 70,3kg), Sage Northcutt, the organization's former promise, and the legendary Demetrious Johnson, holder of the record for most UFC belt defenses (11), decided to change things up and try their luck in the company, which is now more successful on the Asian continent.

The company also invested in Vitor belfort, legendary Brazilian fighter. By hiring the fighter, the company hopes to attract South American investors and, consequently, expand its business to Brazil, as well as other Latin countries.