John Lineker went five rounds for the first time on Saturday night and came out victorious.
Just barely, however. He fought fellow bantamweight contender John Dodson in the main event of UFC Fight Night 96 in Portland, Ore., and, as per usual, went to war. But, this time, his fight went the distance, unlike his 2015 slobberknocker with Francisco Rivera, and ended up being a fight for the ages.
It was a razor-thin fight from start to finish. Dodson looked crisp early on — he was able to avoid Lineker’s flurries with his speed and movement, and landed often on the feet. But, to most people’s surprise, the Brazilian actually looked better in the latter half of the fight, his cardio obviously not an issue. Lineker connected several times in the last couple of rounds, but neither man stunned his opponent enough to score the finish throughout the 25-minute affair.
What was the highlight of the fight?
Honestly, both fighters’ ability to take punishment was the highlight of the fight for me. Neither man had been knocked out going into this matchup, and that stat remained true after the night was over. Lineker’s nickname is “Hands of Stone,” and he certainly has a chin made of stone, as well, and so does Dodson. “The Magician” landed a few clean head-kicks that the Brazilian ate with ease. Lineker landed loads of body shots and other strikes that barely phased Dodson. There was a moment in the fourth round, however, where Dodson appeared to be hurt and was covering up, but he hung in there until the round came to a close. So, at the end of the day, I think both fighters’ chins were the highlight of this extremely entertaining main event clash.
Where do these two go from here?
Lineker would have a serious case for the next bantamweight title shot if he had made weight. But he didn’t, and, even though he’s calling to fight champ Dominick Cruz, he won’t get a shot at the belt. That said, he still has to be considered a top contender at 135 pounds and may receive a No. 1 contender fight next.
This wasn’t a big step-back for Dodson by any means, considering the fact that Lineker was ranked No. 3 going into this fight and that the fight was super close and could have gone his way. He looked good in defeat, and will probably fight a top 15 opponent next to get back on track.
Watch now, later, or never?
I don’t know if I can call this a Fight of the Year candidate, because there have been so many great fights in 2016. But if Lineker hadn’t missed weight, the headliners certainly would have received Fight of the Night honors. Watch this right away if you haven’t already, simply put.