Faced with the toughest test of his UFC career when he met No. 6-ranked Michael McDonald in the main event of last night’s (Wed., July 13, 2016) UFC Fight Night 91 from the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, surging bantamweight John Lineker delivered one of the most scintillating MMA knockouts of the year.
The previously No. 8-ranked ‘Hands Of Stone’ has been on an absolute tear, winning his last five bouts in the octagon, which includes a three-fight win streak with two finishes back at 135 pounds when he was forced to abandon his quest for the flyweight title after repeatedly missing weight.
But it could be argued that Lineker possesses even more power at bantamweight, and that’s a scary thing for the rest of the suddenly stacked division. After the win and in a post-fight interview with UFC on FOX, Lineker called out champion Dominick Cruz for the next title shot at 135 pounds:
While he’s certain to rise up the ranks after such an emphatic knockout over McDonald, the path to a title shot may not be so cut and dry for Lineker.
Former champion TJ Dillashaw just beat previous No. 4 Raphael Assuncao at last weekend’s UFC 200 and wants a rematch with Cruz after their ultra-close match at UFC Fight Night 81, Bryan Caraway is angling for a shot himself, and similiary surging contender Cody Garbrandt will take on Takeya Mizugaki at September’s UFC 203 and could be inching closer to a shot at the belt himself.
Taking that into consideration, do you believe Lineker already deserves a title shot, or does he need one (or more) high-profile wins before he summits that mountaintop? Cast your vote right here:
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