By Guilherme Cruz, MMAFighting.com
John Lineker could have earned a shot at the flyweight title with his fourth consecutive victory inside the Octagon, but the fact that he missed weight in three of his five UFC fights played against him.
Lineker scored three knockouts in a row in 2013, the last one over Phil Harris at UFC Fight Night 30 in Manchester, England, and he guarantees you won’t see him miss weight anymore.
To make that happen, he started working with Mike Dolce.
“He already sent me the diet and I started it,” Lineker told MMAFighting.com. “I loved it. I don’t eat anything that isn’t good for my body, like soda, sugar, pasta. It’s a completely different diet with lots of fruits and natural stuff. It’s really cool.”
Seven days after starting the diet, the flyweight contender has lost 11 pounds.
“I was used to eat anything, so it was tough in the beginning. But I’m getting used to it already,” he said. “I always weighed around 163 pounds, but I’m already at 152 after one week of the diet. I feel great. I’m losing weight easily, and I’m not even training hard yet.”
Lineker called his win over Harris “one of my best performances in the UFC”, and he’s upset with the fact that he lost a big opportunity with his weight issues.
“It’s nice that Dana White said I’m getting closer to the title, but I’m sad that I couldn’t make weight again,” he said. “I don’t know what happened. Everything was great, but my body completely stopped sweating. But now I’m working with Mike Dolce and everything will work. One more win, and I’ll fight for the title.”
The UFC hasn’t announced Lineker’s next fight yet, and he wants to be part of the UFC Fight Night 36 card in Jaragua do Sul, Brazil, on Feb. 15.
“I’m just waiting for their call,” he said. “I’d love to fight in Jaragua do Sul, but that’s not up to me. Let’s see what they want next for me.”
To get ready for his next bout, “Hands of Stone” will finish his training camp at American Top Team in Florida.
“The idea is that I’ll go there with one month left for my next fight,” he said. “With this new diet, which I already can feel the change, you’ll see a new Lineker inside the Octagon. I’ll bring the belt to Brazil. I’ll fight anyone to get there.”
