One of the hardest-hitting MMA fighters will test his skills under muay Thai rules early next year.
At ONE Fight Night 18, John Lineker will take on a new challenge as he competes for the first time in muay Thai. He will be taking on experienced muay Thai fighter Liam Harrison at bantamweight. A ONE Championship official confirmed the booking with MMA Junkie. The event takes place at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, and airs live on Prime Video at 8 p.m. ET on Jan. 12, 2024.
Lineker, 33, was last in action at ONE Fight Night 14, where he picked up a unanimous decision win over Stephen Loman. That win followed a third round finish of Jae Woong Kim at ONE Fight Night 13. After 47 professional MMA fights, Lineker will now try his “Hands of Stone” in muay Thai, and potentially bounce back and forth between fighting disciplines.
“Let’s see how this fight against Liam Harrison goes. If I do well, I intend to keep fighting Muay Thai and MMA,” Lineker said in a comment provided to MMA Junkie by ONE Championship. “I’m going to Thailand 20 days early to train at Lions MMA in Phuket and adapt to the climate and time zone. I did this last time and it worked, so I’m doing it again to be well-adapted on fight day.”
Harrison, 38, has competed on four occasions under the ONE Championship banner, splitting his muay Thai bouts with two stoppage wins and two losses. He will look to rebound from his last appearance at ONE Fight Night 1, where he was stopped by Nong-O Gaiyanghadao.
The current lineup of ONE Fight Night 18 includes:
