John Lineker went five rounds for the first time on Saturday night and came out victorious.
Just barely, however. He fought fellow bantamweight contender John Dodson in the main event of UFC Fight Night 96 in Portland, Ore., and, as per usual, went to war. But, this time, his fight went the distance, unlike his 2015 slobberknocker with Francisco Rivera, and ended up being a fight for the ages.
It was a razor-thin fight from start to finish. Dodson looked crisp early on — he was able to avoid Lineker’s flurries with his speed and movement, and landed often on the feet.