John Lineker suffered his first loss in Muay Thai at ONE Fight Night 27, though the scorecards left some confused as to how exactly the former UFC fighter lost despite landing an early knockdown.
Lineker came out swinging big early and trapping Kulabdam against the ropes. A mere 45 seconds into the contest, Kulabdam hit the mat after eating a left hand followed by a short uppercut from the former ONE bantamweight MMA world champion.
Kulabdam answered the referee’s 10-count but was forced to face another barrage of strikes from Lineker. However, ‘Left Meteorite’ was more than willing to engage and caught ‘Hands of Stone’ with a series of stiff lefts that had Lineker backing away and trying to clear the cobwebs.
After a fast and furious first round, both fighters were much more measured in the second. But with the fight on the line, all bets were off in the third. Kulabdam looked to punish Lineker with a slew of body kicks as ‘Hands of Stone’ tried to bring his signature hooks over the top.
Kulabdam’s repeated attacks to the body appeared to have Lineker slowing down significantly, but because of the knockdown in round one, the Thai would likely need a finish to leave The Land of Smiles with a win.
… Or would he?
Kulabdam turned up the heat with 15 seconds to go, forcing Lineker to clinch up and ride out the remainder of the clock.
With the Thai unable to score a knockdown of his own, it seemed like ‘Hands of Stone’ would move to 3-0 in the art of eight limbs. However, the three judges saw things differently.
Official Result: Kulabdam def. John Lineker via unanimous decision.
Clearly, Kulabdam had to have earned a 10-8 round either in the second or the third for a unanimous decision to make sense. Unfortunately, ring announcer Dom Lau did not elaborate on the scorecards, leaving many, including ONE color commentator Mitch Chilson, scratching his head in confusion.
Check out highlights from John Lineker vs. Kulabdam at ONE Fight Night 27:
