Stephen Loman Feels Closer Than Ever To Title Shot, Confident About Upsetting Former Champ

ONE Championship currently has a hole atop the bantamweight division following the controversial outcome between Fabricio Andrade and John Lineker at ONE on Prime Video 3, but Stephen Loman feels that he is up to the task.

In a recent conversation with International Business Times sports editor and combat sports analyst Nissi Icasiano, the Team Lakay striker recognized that his chase for gold is not going to be any easier despite it being vacant.

"I think every fighter in the division will try their best to seize the opportunity to make their case for a shot at the title," Loman said.

"If they want the shot, so do I. That's why I am putting my entire focus on this fight because I may be on the verge of getting a title shot after this one."

Loman, the No. 5-ranked bantamweight, has had a phenomenal start to his ONE Championship career after pulling off impressive victories against the likes of Yusup Saadulaev and Shoko Sato, knocking out the former in just one round during his debut.

His pedigree is not anything to scoff at either as he served as the bantamweight champion for Bahrain-based BRAVE CF for the better part of two years, defending his title four times before vacating it to move to ONE Championship.

However, his next opponent will be no pushover too as he will take on former ONE bantamweight king Bibiano Fernandes at ONE on Prime Video 4 on November 19 (November 18 in the United States).

Fernandes, currently ranked No. 3, is no stranger to being in firefights during his two stints atop the division as he had an intense five-round affair with Reece McLaren in December 2016 and another with Lineker despite losing his title in the latter fight via knockout this past March.

With regards to the bantamweight title's vacant status, it came to be after Lineker was stripped of it ahead of the fight for missing weight and his war with Andrade ending up in a no-contest after "Wonder Boy" tagged Lineker with an inadvertent knee shot to the groin which the former champion could not recover from.

Since the title has no owner just yet, the Philippines-based Team Lakay group is raring to have it back in their camp and Loman is confident that a victory over Fernandes will bring him a step closer to a championship tilt.

"All I can promise is that I will do my best in every aspect of the fight to ensure that I will walk away with the win. The goal is to win. I am confident in my skills as a fighter. I will be 100% ready for Bibiano," Loman declared.