Stepping on the scale is a problem for John Lineker. Stepping in the cage, not so hard.
After failing to make weight again, Lineker need to perform, and at UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Munoz, he did. Utilizing an impressive display of body punching, Lineker dismantled Phil Harris en route to a first-round TKO at Phones4U Arena.
The official time of the finish was 2:51
After a brief feeling-out process, Lineker obtained all the information he needed and opened up his offense. First, he briefly dropped Harris with a right. Harris popped up, but Lineker rattled him with a left hook, and then dropped him with body punches. Harris tried to show off his durability, but Lineker kept targeting the body and finding the mark. Finally, a right hook to the ribs put Harris on the ground, and this time, he didn’t get up. He balled up against the fence, and Lineker threw a few left hands before the referee stopped the match.
“That’s the way I fight. I look for the body shots. I know I have heavy hands,” he said after the victory.
Now, Lineker must figure out his weight situation.
For the third time in five fights, Lineker had come in heavy, weighing 128 pounds, two over the flyweight limit, but Harris agreed to meet him in a catch weight anyway. If he was reliable on the scale, his fourth straight win would likely put him in consideration of a title shot.
Lineker is now 23-6 overall after his third straight TKO while Harris fell to 22-11 with 1 no contest.
