After publicly complaining about a lack of activity, John Lineker has been chosen to fill in for Cody Stamann at UFC Greenville.
Cody Stamann is injured ahead of his fight with Rob Font at UFC Greenville on June 22 in South Carolina. Replacing Stamann on two weeks notice is fan favorite, John Lineker. The co-main event bout takes place on ESPN+ at the Bon Secours Wellness Center in Greenville, South Carolina.
The UFC announced the news Wednesday on social media.
OFFICIAL: @JohnLineker steps in to face @RobSFont at #UFCGreenville!
Tickets ➡️ https://t.co/Hy3MF7XgrC pic.twitter.com/oeEYG2KHsV
— UFC (@ufc) June 5, 2019
Stamann was coming into the fight off of a decision victory over Alejandro Perez at UFC 235. With a 4-1 record inside the UFC, Stamann was looking forward to the challenge and payoff of a win over Font, who has been with the UFC since 2014. Unfortunately, Stamann will have to pull out due to injury giving us a new co-main event.
John Lineker and Rob Font have fought at UFC 198 in 2016. Lineker won a one-sided decision and went on to become one of the fan favorites in the UFC. The Brazilian is coming off a tough loss to newcomer Cory Sandhagen. The split decision defeat in April set Lineker back from the long coveted title shot in the bantamweight division. A win over Font will put Lineker back in the winner’s bracket.
Rob Font is coming off a win of his own. Last December he won a unanimous decision over Sergio Pettis. Font has struggled with the elite fighters in the division, losing to Raphael Assuncao, Pedro Munhoz, and Lineker. A win in the rematch with Lineker would be huge for Font in the crowded bantamweight division.
Keeping The Hype Alive
UFC Greenville will not be denied as a great card. Being headlined by The Korean Zombie and Renato Moicano, the main and co-main will provide fireworks. Now with Lineker on the card, it is sure to be an instant classic. Add in prospects like Andrea Lee, Ashley Yoder, Luis Pena, Molly McCann and the debut of Deron Winn, and you have a card with tons of rising talent.
