All those countless hours of hard work inside the Team Lakay gym in Baguio City guided Filipino star Stephen “The Sniper” Loman numerous times to success.
Last Saturday, November 19, the 27-year-old Baguio City native continued his dominance inside the ONE Circle after scoring a unanimous decision win over Former ONE Bantamweight World Champion Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes in the main card of ONE on PRIME Video 4, which took place at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore.
This was Loman’s third-straight win under the ONE Championship banner and his second this year after his dominating victory over Shoko Sato of Japan at ONE X last March also in Singapore.
The impressive win against Fernandes didn’t come easy. But for Loman, his discipline and incredible determination led him to victory.
“I am very happy that I got the victory and was able to give pride and honor to my country once again,” said Loman.
“Fernandes is a world-class athlete. He was very tough. His overall skillset gave me problems but my non-stop training together with my teammates has paid off as well as my determination to succeed as this win could be my ticket for a shot to the World title,” he added.
It was a combination of his excellent striking and ground game that carried Loman to victory, while Fernandes also had some moments in the fight, the Brazilian legend simply didn’t have an answer for Loman’s quickness and strength.
“I have a lot of respect for Fernandes. The game plan is to outstrike him. Get my range early on to set up my combinations but he was trying to read it and counter with an overhand right that’s why I mix things up from there and then bring him to the ground,” Loman shared.
“Again he was a tough opponent, his defense and excellent ground game was evident in the fight, but despite that, I just need to focus, concentrate and I’m very happy I was able to secure the win.”
With the victory, there’s a strong case that Loman could be next in line for a shot at the ONE Bantamweight World Title and will face the winner of the rematch between John “Hands of Stone” Lineker and Fabricio “Wonder Boy” Andrade this coming February 2023.
“This win is for my family, team, and everyone who supports me in this journey. I must admit every win gives me more reason to improve,” said Loman.
“I’m very happy to end the 2022 campaign with a win. This match against Fernandes gave me a lot of pointers in my game that I need to work on and I assure everyone that they will see a more improved Stephen Loman the next time I step inside the ONE Circle,” he ended.
Fight Game Asia 