After UFC 191 Thriller, John Lineker Says He’ll Be Champ At 135

Exciting UFC bantamweight John Lineker let it all go in the octagon last night (Saturday September 5, 2015) as he took on Francisco Rivera in just over two minutes over full pace war. The result was a fight of the night winning submission win for ‘Hand Of Stone’, as the former Jungle Fight champion put his name in to the mix with one of the division’s best ever fights.

Now looking forward to a career at 135 pounds, Lineker tells MMAJunkie.com that he hasn’t turned his back completely on the flyweight division, but has big plans at bantamweight:

“Certainly, I wanted to be champ at flyweight, but it didn’t work out,” Lineker said after his win. “So I’ll be champ at this weight. What I came to prove at this weight was that I can go for this title. That’s what I want the most. I’m not turning my back (on 125). I just wasn’t managing to stay at that weight and fight at that weight. So I wasn’t going to insist on it – and it wasn’t my choice, anyway.”

The bantamweight division is definitely short on legitimate contenders right now, and the performance last night could well put ‘Mao De Pedra’ in line for at least a contender fight. Check out the Tweet sent out by the UFC of one of the many classic exchanges between Cisco and Lineker:

That was CRAZY!!!! @CiscoRiveraUFC & @JohnLineker just gave us a treat! #UFC191 http://t.co/uBGnrUzK8n

— UFC (@ufc) September 6, 2015

Do you think his two fight streak at 125 pounds and standout UFC 191 bantamweight performance is enough to earn a title shot against TJ Dillashaw, or does he need to earn his chops at 135 pounds with some more wins?