The aftermath of ONE Fight Night 7 last February 25 has seen a significant development in the talent-laden bantamweight division, and the biggest beneficiary of them all is Team Lakay’s Stephen “The Sniper” Loman.

Loman has moved up to No. 2 in the Top Five as he marches through the weight class in the hopes of getting a chance at vying for the coveted ONE Bantamweight World Championship, which is now in the possession of Fabricio “Wonder Boy” Andrade.

The Brazilian captured the then-vacant World Title by beating arch-nemesis and compatriot John “Hand of Stone” Lineker by way of corner stoppage before the start of the fifth round in their rematch at the recently-concluded ONE Fight Night 7.

As Andrade recovers and recuperates from the injuries he sustained from the grueling battle, he is already looking forward to the first defense of his gold-plated belt.

“The Wonder Boy” believes that without a doubt, Loman deserves to share the same stage with him next.

“I intend to fight as soon as possible, but it will depend on my recovery. I will do everything to recover quickly and to get back inside the ONE Circle. And next in line is Stephen Loman. So, he can start training now,” Andrade

“Loman beat a former World Champion in his last fight and should be the next to get a title shot.”

Loman is 3-0 under the promotion’s banner, and his most resounding victory yet came at the expense of former ONE Bantamweight World Champion Bibiano “The Flash” Fernades in November 2022.

The 27-year-old Ifugao native manhandled the Brazilian legend across three rounds to notch a clear-cut unanimous decision victory.

In the rankings, Loman sits behind Lineker, who now occupies the No. 1 spot. Meanwhile, Shoko Sato has re-entered the list at No. 5.

ONE Championship’s official Athlete Rankings are determined by an independent panel of sports media members and industry experts following each event. The panel rates the fighters on criteria including wins and losses, their most recent performances, and the quality of competition.