UFC
Ian McCall, John Lineker aim for fight after wins at UFC Fight Night 45 and 46, but McCall hand injury could delay that
Jul 20, 2014 - 7:45:55 PM Ian McCall, John Lineker aim for fight after wins at UFC Fight Night 45 and 46, but McCall hand injury could delay that

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

After defeating Brad Pickett on Saturday in Dublin at UFC Fight Night 46, Ian McCall expressed interest in a fight with fellow flyweight contender John Lineker.

"Sign me up," he said at the post-fight press conference when asked about that fight (transcribed by MMAJunkie.com). "I'll fight anybody. He's top-five or whatever, and just like tonight, he might hit hard, but he can't touch me. So, we'll see how that goes."

"I think if you look at the [Lineker vs. Ali] Bagautinov fight, he's got pretty big holes in his wrestling and jiu-jitsu, so that's a fight I'd love to take."

Lineker responded when reached for comment on McCall's comments, fired back about McCall's performance on Saturday.

"Congratulations to Ian on his win over Brad Pickett," he said. "But I'm not sure if I was watching a fight or a game of touch with the way Ian was running around away from Pickett.

"I have no problem at all with fighting McCall if that’s what the UFC wants to happen. But I would ask my manager to suggest the UFC create a new rule, deducting a point for every so many yards run inside the ring. I want to fight, not play hide-and-seek."

While that fight is developing some heat already, they may not be able to put that fight together anytime soon. McCall also revealed after the event that he'll be undergoing surgery to repair a lingering hand injury. He believes he'll be back fairly soon, but with no clear timetable just yet Lineker could move on to a different fight.

Penick's Analysis: McCall-Lineker would be a very good flyweight fight, but the injury throws a wrench in that plan. Lineker will probably need to take another fight here in the next couple of months, as the UFC surely wants to see him make weight again before giving him a title fight. If he does that, he could fight the Demetrious Johnson-Chris Cariaso winner later this year.