Just a week after pleading for more fights, John Lineker now gets exactly that, stepping in on two weeks notice for a rematch against Rob Font.
Font (16-4) was originally scheduled to take on Cody Stamann until an injury forced the American to withdraw, allowing Lineker's replacement as a result. The co-main event bout will take place on June 22nd at UFC Fight Night Greenville. The promotion confirmed the rematch this evening.
Though he lost a decision in his first meeting with Lineker, Font enters this bout with far more experience, going an impressive 6-3 inside the octagon. Most recently, Font outpointed Sergio Pettis and is currently 12th in the UFC's Bantamweight standings.
On the other hand, Lineker (31-9) has recently had his own winning streak halted, dropping a decision to Cory Sandhagen after eleven months out of the cage. Prior to that though, Lineker had won six of his seven outings since returning to 135 lbs. His only loss came at the hands of former champion T.J. Dillashaw but Lineker soon rebounded, outpointing Marlon Vera and then knocking out Brian Kelleher. Now 10th in the division's rankings though, Lineker needs to repeat his prior performance in order to rebuild some positive momentum.
Disappointed by his inactivity, Lineker took to Twitter last week, asking the UFC to release him if they don't want to regularly book him in fights. Lineker now gets his wish, even if only on two weeks notice.
UFC Fight Night Greenville takes place at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena on June 22nd. The event will air on ESPN+ and currently features the headline bout of Renato Moicano vs. Chan Sung Jung.