ONE Championship: tearful John Lineker says his bantamweight title win ‘represents my life’ after KO of Bibiano Fernandes
- ‘It shows my life, my history, where I’m from and where I managed to come,’ says the Brazilian in emotional media interview in Singapore
- ONE chairman Chatri Sityodtong impressed by KO but thinks age caught up with 41-year-old Fernandes – ‘this is a young man’s game’
John Lineker was overcome with emotion when asked about the significance of his ONE Championship bantamweight title victory.
The 31-year-old Brazilian knockout artist usurped the division’s throne in the co-main event of Friday night’s ONE: Lights Out card in Singapore, weathering some early adversity to stop legendary champion Bibiano Fernandes with a vicious second-round punch – the 17th stoppage win of his career.
At the event’s post-fight press conference, the new champion was asked what the victory meant to him, and could not hold back the tears.
“This victory means a lot for me,” the 31-year-old from Paranaguá, Brazil, told the media after knocking out Fernandes, a decorated Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt. “It shows my life, my history, where I’m from and where I managed to come.”
“Yes, I was the striker, he was the BJJ guy. But I trained very hard to be confident in grappling and this is my history,” he added. “This is where I managed to put myself into, so it represents my life.”
The Asian martial arts promotion’s chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong was just as impressed as the rest of the world by Lineker’s title win, but posited that age might be catching up with the vanquished Fernandes.
“At the highest levels in the world, on any given day, the margin for victory and loss is so tiny,” Chatri said. “Bibiano’s done a phenomenal job but he’s 41 years old. Lineker is still the young gun.