Evolving Lineker feels great at bantamweight

John Lineker is hoping to put his ongoing battle with the scales behind him against Francisco Rivera at UFC 191.

Set to move up to his more natural bantamweight after a flyweight run that was marred by multiple weight-cutting issues, the heavy-handed Lineker is looking to violently make some noise at his new home at 135 pounds.

"In this weight class, I feel great, especially when training,” Lineker told MMAjunkie.com. "Bantamweight is my original weight class. I am feeling well, confident. I can't wait for my debut so I can show that things won't be any different in this category. I want to fight frequently. I'll show that moving up won't have an effect in regards to strength. My opponents won't be stronger than I. Ultimately, I prefer not to talk about weight anymore. It's in the past now. I'd rather not keep bringing it up. I feel well adjusted at bantamweight. I feel very comfortable. And now, I’ll just keep training hard, same as always. It's a new life. I'll keep moving forward. I'm going to make noise in this weight class. Just wait."

With a victory over perennial flyweight contender Ian McCall at UFC 183, Lineker would have been poised for a title shot had he not horribly missed weight prior to the bout. So, instead of readying himself for seemingly bulletproof champion Demetrious Johnson, Lineker was forced to move up a division by UFC president Dana White.

Despite the escalation in weight, Lineker - who boasts a much more well-rounded game than when he made his UFC debut in 2012 - still has championship aspirations.

"I think it was clear when I faced Alptekin Ozkilic that I improved a lot in regards to wrestling and jiu-jitsu," Lineker said. "For sure, I was able to show that I improved. And against Ian McCall, I was able to show that yet again. The evolution continues. Twice I almost submitted McCall, as I recall, with an ankle lock and a guillotine. I sought to improve. I seek to improve every single day so that I may become a champion."