A major bantamweight fight between TJ Dillashaw and John Lineker is close to being booked for UFC 207 in Las Vegas on December 30th.
Former 135lb title holder Dillashaw is known to be unhappy that he’s been overlooked in favor of Cody Garbrandt for current champion Dominick Cruz’s next title defense, despite their closely fought encounter at UFC Fight Night 81 in January, which Cruz won by split decision.
Dillashaw has since earned a unanimous decision win over Rafael Assuncao, but that’s not been enough to bring him back to the belt, so he now faces a dangerous fight with the heavy-handed Lineker instead.
Lineker is currently on a six-fight winning streak, with four of those victories having come since moving up to bantamweight in September of last year.
Most recently ‘Hands Of Stone’ secured a split decision win over another former flyweight contender, John Dodson last month, and that’s left him ranked at No.2 in the division, just one place behind Dillashaw.
With that in mind, there’s little doubt that the winner of Dillashaw Vs Lineker would go on to fight the winner of Cruz Vs Garbrandt for the bantamweight title at some stage in 2017.
Dillashaw Vs Lineker would further bolster a UFC 207 event that already has a huge headliner featuring Ronda Rousey’s comeback fight against woman’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes, plus the aforementioned Cruz Vs Garbrandt title fight in the co-main event spot, along with the likes of Fabricio Werdum Vs Cain Velasquez and Johny Hendricks Vs Neil Magny.
