After being sidelined for the last couple of months due to a case of Dengue Fever, powerful Brazilian bantamweight John Lineker is slated to return to the Octagon at the UFC 198 pay-per-view (PPV) inside Arena da Baixada stadium in Curitiba, Brazil, on May 14, 2016.
MMA Fighting brought news of the matchup earlier this week as the blockbuster stadium show continues to take shape.
Lineker will do battle with streaking prospect Rob Font before a hometown crowd, which will be packed inside the enormous 42,000-seat structure.
Surely, “Hands of Stone” will be looking to make a statement and prove his arrival in UFC’s 135-pound division wasn’t just a flash in the pan. Lineker last defeated the always entertaining Francisco Rivera via first-round knockout in what is one of the craziest two-minute fights of all time.
The 26-year-old knockout artist was 6-2 as a flyweight, but was forced to move up a division due to his inability to make the 126-pound limit.
Font, on the other hand, is also known to pack some heat while racking up 11 straight wins. The Massachusetts native slings violent leather and has already totaled two knockout victories in UFC over the likes of Joey Gomez and George Roop.
It’s a huge step up in competition for Font. Does anyone think he’s up to the task?
To see who else is fighting at UFC 198 click here.