Loman eyes spot in bantamweight rankings after ONE debut win
MANILA, Philippines — It was a stellar promotional debut for Stephen Loman in ONE Championship as he rocked third-ranked bantamweight contender Yusup Saadulev in a first-round KO in ONE: Winter Warriors II broadcasted Friday.
Formerly the longest reigning champion in Bahrain-based promotion Brave CF, Loman put ONE Championship on notice with his masterclass over Saadulev.
Making easy work of one of the biggest contenders in his division, Loman hopes sooner rather than later to take his spot in the top dogs in bantamweight.
"Siya ay No. 3 na sa rankings so I did my best talaga na talunin siya," Loman said after the fight.
He floored Saadulev with an left overhand counter with 51 seconds left in the opening round.
"Hopefully makasali [rin] talaga ako sa rankings yun po yung binabalak ko," he added.
Though not getting ahead of himself, Loman oozed confidence after his dominant debut and after ruling the field in Brave CF, going through the competition in ONE Championship becomes the next goal.
"Ito na nga, naipakita ko yung mga tinraining ko, yung bunga ng laban ko na panalo kaya I think that's a sign," Loman said on whether or not the win was indicative of his dominance in ONE.
"Gagawin ko yung best ko ulit sa susunod na laban," he added.
Loman joins second generation MMA star Jhanlo Sangiao as victorious debutants for Team Lakay on Friday.
Both bantamweights, Loman and Sangiao hope to climb the division as it seems like their teammate and former bantamweight titlist Kevin Belingon's chances for a title run continue to fade.
Belingon fell to Kwon Won Il, his fourth straight loss, in Winter Warriors II.
- Latest
- Trending
