John Lineker went through a tough weight cut on Friday and a tough first round on Saturday.
But the erstwhile flyweight saw his way through and got the job done against a game Jose Maria Tome on Saturday night, scoring a TKO victory in the second round at UFC 163.
Lineker missed weight by three pounds on Friday, making the bout a 129-pound catchweight contest. Then Tome, an injury replacement who was making his UFC debut at Rio's HSBC Arena, likely won the first round as he wobbled Lineker with a spinning back fist and took control in the second.
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Lineker found his footing in the second round, though. When Tome's left leg buckled after a kick, Lineker dropped him with a left hand and finished Tome with a ground-and-pound flurry. The time of the stoppage was 1:03.
"I got a little lost when he did that," Lineker said of the spinning back fist. "But I was able to get back into it and get back into my game which is my striking ... No I did not see [Tome's leg injury], I just saw my punch connected and I started punching him on the ground."
With the win, Lineker improved to 22-6, with three straight victories. Tome dropped to 33-4 (2 NC) and had a 17-fight win streak snapped.