Team Lakay head coach Mark Sangiao confirmed that Stephen “The Sniper” Loman has indeed chosen to compete in ONE Championship's bantamweight division.
“It’s his personal decision to sign with ONE Championship. I’m very happy that he chose to sign with ONE just so he can join his teammates in competing here,” Sangiao said.
“We’ve seen his performances in Brave, and here, we’ll see how he excels in ONE Championship.”
Team Lakay announced yesterday that Loman, a five-time mixed martial arts champion – and the longest-running titleholder from the Philippines – signed a deal with The Home Of Martial Arts.
Until today, however, it was still uncertain whether Loman would be competing in the flyweight or bantamweight division.
With “The Sniper” joining the bantamweight division, Team Lakay will now have two heavy hitters in it, with former ONE Bantamweight World Champion Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon still in the division’s mix.
It will certainly be a challenging climb through the ranks for Loman, especially in a division loaded with talent from top to bottom.
Sitting at the peak is longtime division king Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes and fellow Brazilian John “Hands Of Stone” Lineker, who is not that far behind the World Champion after his impressive KO of Belingon last year.
Rising stars such as Fabricio “Wonder Boy” Andrade and Shuya “Stealth” Kamikubo are also in the mix, while old guards Shoko Sato and Yusup “Maestro” Saadulaev are still forces to be tested.
Still, Loman is confident that he can hang with the very best of them by doubling his efforts in the gym.
“My plan is to train hard, prove [to] myself that I am the best, and fight the best fighters. I want to stay on top, and if I have the chance to fight for the belt, I will do my best to capture it,” Loman said.
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