After missing weight by 5 pounds at the official weigh ins for UFC 183, John Lineker will probably be forced to leave the Flyweight division. According to a report from Globo, Sean Shelby, the matchmaker for UFC’s lower weight divisions, has told Alexis Davis, Lineker’s manager, that his man is done at flyweight and it’s time to move up to bantamweight (135lbs). Lineker has been fined 30% of his purse.
In his 8 fight UFC career, Lineker has never made 125 pounds — a requirement for anyone wishing to fight for the title although non-title bouts allow an extra pound. Since his debut in 2012, Lineker missed weight four times and in the other four he was 125.5 or 126. His fight with Ian McCall was seen as a potential title eliminator but at this point that opportunity would seem to only be open for Lineker’s opponent “Uncle Creepy.”
Before fighting in the UFC, Lineker competed as a Bantamweight in Brazil and he also fought as a Featherweight. He mentioned before that his anxiety problem causes fluid retention. He told Globo on Thursday that he’s naturally “chubby” when he’s out of competition.and that he was around seven pounds over the limit 24 hours before weigh-ins.
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