John Lineker’s known as one of the toughest customers in the sport, and that was proven again at UFC 207 as it’s emerged that he fought on against TJ Dillashaw despite having broken his jaw in the opening round.
According to Lineker, a head kick from Dillashaw did the damage, but it seems that quitting was never an option for the Brazilian, despite the fact that he was taking more shots to his already injured face for the remainder of what would prove to be a unanimous decision loss.
“I felt a pop right away,” Lineker told MMAFighting. “I wasn’t dizzy or anything like that, but I felt a pop. I thought ‘it was just the kick, no problem,’ but it start to hurt a lot in the second round. I truly felt it in the third, when I took all of his punches.
“I left the Octagon and talked to the doctors, everything was normal. I could move my jaw, all normal, so they cleared me and said to let them know if I felt anything. When I went to another room to eat something and watch the fights, I felt the pain and it didn’t stop.”
The fight not only broke his jaw, but also an impressive six-fight winning streak that had put him on the verge of title contention.
