'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Reece McLaren wasn't letting Australia languish in the pits of defeat in ONE Championship. The Australian star gave his nation a win to remember when he beat Chinese standout Hu Yong in a crucial flyweight MMA matchup at ONE Fight Night 22 this past weekend at the hallowed Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.
It was a fight that saw both fighters go on dominant stretches, but McLaren's all-around game eventually won him over two of the three judges for the split decision win.
In his post-fight interview, McLaren said he didn't just put himself back in the win column but also brought a victory to his home nation of Australia.
"I think, if anything, there's something won. In my mind it was what 'MIni T' [Danial Williams] had said, you know, get Australia back in the win column. I think Australia in ONE was on a bit of a losing streak. I think we'd lost our last four fights. So for me, that was more important than trying to snap his win [streak] if you could believe that or not," said Reece McLaren.
Hu, the number five flyweight MMA contender, was on a four-fight winning streak and was the winner in eight of his last nine fights when he met McLaren in Bangkok.
McLaren, the number four contender in the division, knew he was facing a fighter with incredible momentum, but that didn't matter too much to him.
'Lightning' was his usual calculated self in the second and third rounds, and did more than enough to control Hu's aggression throughout those periods to take the split decision win.
Reece McLaren believes he's destined for a world title shot against flyweight MMA world champion Demetrious Johnson
Reece McLaren has always been one of the best flyweights in ONE Championship history, and he believes he should take on Demetrious Johnson for the ONE flyweight MMA world title.
In the same post-fight interview, McLaren said he's a step away from facing the American legend for the division's top prize.
"I feel that I am at any stage, on any win, one step away from that world title shot, regardless of being ranked or not ranked. I've been in ONE now for nearly nine years, 10 wins, I was meant to fight for the flyweight [MMA] belt back in 2016," said McLaren.
