UFC 191's John Lineker on move to bantamweight: 'I'm going to make noise'

John Lineker

John Lineker’s UFC career has been anything but normal. The crowd-pleasing fighter has missed weight in half of his UFC fights and now moves up from flyweight to bantamweight to face Francisco Rivera at UFC 191.

Lineker (25-7 MMA, 6-2 UFC) is riding a two-fight winning streak and picked up a big win over Ian McCall at UFC 183, but the 25-year-old Brazilian missed weight, tainting one of the biggest wins of his career.

The fight with Rivera (11-4 MMA, 4-3 UFC), which takes place Saturday night from Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena and airs on the Fox Sports 1 televised prelims ahead of the pay-per-view main card, marks Lineker’s return to a weight he hasn’t fought at since Sept. 2011.

But Lineker says he feels good at his old weight and is ready to impress.

“In this weight class, I feel great, especially when training,” Lineker told MMAjunkie. “Bantamweight is my original weight class. I am feeling well, confident. I can’t wait for my debut so I can show that things won’t be any different in this category. I want to fight frequently. I’ll show that moving up won’t have an effect in regards to strength. My opponents won’t be stronger than I. Ultimately, I prefer not to talk about weight anymore. It’s in the past now. I’d rather not keep bringing it up. I feel well adjusted at bantamweight. I feel very comfortable. And now, I’ll just keep training hard, same as always. It’s a new life. I’ll keep moving forward. I’m going to make noise in this weight class. Just wait.”

Lineker is known for being a heavy-handed striker, but he’s showcased an improved ground game in his most recent fights.

Lineker’s two fight win streak features a third round TKO of Alptekin Ozkilic and the previously mentioned decision win over McCall.

He cites his ability to threaten McCall with submissions during their bout as proof of his improved submission game and constant evolution as a fighter.

Between the improvements and the move to 135 pounds, Lineker feels he’s on the path to a UFC championship.

“I think it was clear when I faced Alptekin Ozkilic that I improved a lot in regards to wrestling and jiu-jitsu,” Lineker said. “For sure, I was able to show that I improved. And against Ian McCall, I was able to show that yet again. The evolution continues. Twice I almost submitted McCall, as I recall, with an ankle lock and a guillotine. I sought to improve. I seek to improve every single day so that I may become a champion.”

For more on UFC 191, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.