John Lineker went up to the bantamweight division Saturday night. And he remembered to bring the power he showed in the flyweight division with him.
Lineker (26-7) got into a wild brawl with Francisco Rivera (11-5 1 NC) at UFC 191 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, then sealed the deal with a guillotine choke. The time of the whirlwind fight was 2:08.
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The Brazilian standout landed several big blows at the outset as the fighters stood and traded, which knocked Rivera to the mat, then continued to land punches to the downed Rivera.
Rivera, however, was determined to make a comeback or go out on his shield. He got back to his feet and managed to land a couple of impressive shots of his own. The two winged punches at one another until Lineker pulled guard and got the winning choke.
“He wasn’t intimidated because I was coming up from a lower division,” Lineker said. “I’m glad he did that.”
Lineker has won three straight and seven of his past eight. However, he consistently missed weight in the 125-pound division, necessitating his jump to 135.