A bantamweight title bout between Bibiano Fernandes and John Lineker could be in the works for ONE Championship. Both Brazilians seem eager to fight but it has become clear that the two don’t agree on much else.
Fernandes and Lineker have been trading barbs on social media. The champion claimed on Facebook that his opponent had been fired by the UFC for repeatedly missing weight and appeared to suggest he would have issues with USADA testing should ONE Championship introduce it:
Lineker responded by claiming on Instagram that Fernandes was asking for ‘absurd numbers’ to make the fight happen.
View this post on Instagram
Fernandes has not fought since 2019. But the champion does not appear to be contemplating retirement despite celebrating his 41st birthday earlier this year.
His last fight was against Kevin Belingon at ONE: ‘Century’ Part II. He beat the Filipino for the third time but has sat in the sidelines ever since, possibly due to the lack of a genuinely credible contender.
The #1 ranked Lineker has well and truly filled that void. He stopped Troy Worthen in the opening round at ONE on TNT Part III earlier this year and is undefeated since moving up to bantamweight and signing with ONE Championship.
