ONE Championship (ONE) is on track for a spectacular December, with a handful of shows left on offer to close out the year

Over the past couple of weeks, there has been a tremendous movement in the ONE Championship Official Athlete Rankings, with major shakeups at bantamweight and lightweight.

Mixed martial arts veteran John “Hands of Stone” Lineker of Brazil scored a massive victory over former #1 contender Kevin Belingon at ONE: INSIDE THE MATRIX III last 13 November to take the top spot at bantamweight. Belingon, on the other hand, fell to the #3 position, just behind Japan’s Shoko Sato.

“Being ranked number one makes me feel like a champion, but I am still not the owner of the belt. It feels great but my work isn’t finished. I won’t stop until I have that belt. I am coming for Bibiano Fernandes. That fight is what interests me. I will work hard and you can expect to see me victorious. If it is God’s plan, I will very soon be the ONE World Champion,” said Lineker.

Over at lightweight, Russian powerhouse Timofey Nastyukhin and Japanese legend Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki both move up a notch to claim the #3 and #4 spots respectively, while former ranked athlete Pieter Buist exits the Top 5. Meanwhile, undefeated Lowen Tynanes of the United States enters the lightweight rankings at the #5 position.