MMA News: Stephen Loman Reveals Future Plans Following ONE X Win

Rising Filipino title contender Stephen Loman could be next for a ONE Championship bantamweight title shot after a dominant victory at ONE X, but he knows he will need to improve in certain areas first before facing the newly-crowned John Lineker.

Speaking with International Business Times sports editor and combat sports analyst Nissi Icasiano in a virtual press conference last week, Loman disclosed to him that he has learned a lot from his win over Shoko Sato at ONE X.

“What I learned from that Sato fight is that we have to be fast. Based on what I’ve seen from John Lineker, he keeps moving forward, but he is also capable of countering strikes easily.,” Loman mentioned.

“I learned that I have to keep working on my speed, learning how to absorb shots and especially my counters, just in case I fight John Lineker. I’ll also need to get better at assessing game plans if ever I do get called up to face Lineker.”

Loman was the first of three Team Lakay fighters to have a match at ONE X, and the pressure was certainly on him to deliver a strong start for his gym.

“Yes, yes there was [pressure] because I’m the first to fight and I told myself that I needed to push [for a win] in this fight and if I do win, it would serve as motivation for my teammates. Even if I was fighting on short notice, I did what I had to do to win. I’m very, very happy to have pulled out a victory,” a relieved Loman told Icasiano.

He and two-time ONE lightweight champion Eduard Folayang were able to successfully get the victory over their respective opponents, with the latter winning in his first ONE Super Series appearance.

However, their compatriot in Lito Adiwang failed in his pursuit of a victory after he twisted his knee during his match against fellow Filipino Jeremy Miado directly after Loman’s fight with Sato.

Loman is currently riding a two-fight winning streak since joining the organization and has remained unbeaten since 2016, which includes a six-fight winning streak in BRAVE Combat Federation.

Expectations for “The Sniper” to succeed with ONE are high and he is fully aware of it.

Icasiano then asked Loman who his best opponent would be to help him prepare for a bantamweight title shot, and the No. 3-ranked bantamweight declared that fighting the previous titleholder Bibiano Fernandes would be in his best interests.

“I can see Bibiano (Fernandes) being the one to prepare me for that fight [with John Lineker] because I think he is a more complete fighter and he is very good in the striking game,” Loman proposed.

“We saw that he was able to knockdown (John) Lineker with a punch and his ground game is very solid. I think he will push me to train even harder and get me ready to fight John Lineker.”

Loman is steadily rising through the bantamweight ranks, and a victory over Fernandes will help solidify his claim for a potential title shot down the road.