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| Stephen Loman secured his release from ONE Championship as a return to Brave CF looms. ONE Championship (file photo) |
MANILA--Stephen Loman has left ONE Championship.
The Bangkok-based mixed martial arts promotion confirmed on Tuesday that the Lions Nation MMA star is no longer with them after a four-year run, although spending the last two on the sidelines.
"After discussions with Stephen and his team, we have mutually agreed to part ways at this time. We deeply appreciate his professionalism, dedication, and the impact he made inside the Circle. We wish Stephen nothing but continued success in his future endeavors," ONE said in a statement.
Just when everyone was beginning to rebuild their lives amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Loman made the jump to ONE in 2021, joining his then pals at Team Lakay.
Loman looked to be on track to vie for the ONE bantamweight title after a 3-0 start to his stint in the promotion, but he was stopped by John Lineker at ONE Fight Night 14 on Sept. 30, 2023 in Singapore.
It turned out to be Loman's last fight to date as he never got to play again inside ONE's round cage.
Hurting his chances further to make a comeback fight were the internal issues that led to the breakup of the OG Team Lakay boys, with Loman joining Eduard Folayang's faction that became Lions Nation.
"Stephen Loman has been a consummate professional throughout his time with ONE Championship, and we are grateful for the exciting fights and memorable performances he delivered to our fans around the world," the promotion further said.
Interestingly enough, ONE's statement came one day after Brave Combat Federation seemingly hinted at Loman returning with them.
Brave posted a video showing highlights of a certain Team Lakay fighter, seemingly during his previous run with the Bahrain-based promotion.
Fans quickly speculated it was Loman, although an official announcement will come on Wednesday.
Once confirmed, however, Loman is set for a return to Brave after six years.
Right in his debut with the promotion in 2017, Loman won the inaugural Brave bantamweight title and successfully defended it four times.
He only relinquished the belt after he decided to jump to ONE.
