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Australian star Reece McLaren is eager to secure a shot at the flyweight divisional gold that has eluded him thus far.
However, if ONE flyweight MMA world champion Demetrious Johnson continues to push his return further, the CMBT Training Centre affiliate wants an interim strap introduced.
Following his split decision victory against Hu Yong at ONE Fight Night 22, which marked his 10th promotional win, the No.4-ranked contender touched on a possible world title opportunity.
He told Sportskeeda MMA:
"Let's open up an interim belt with myself and someone headlining that. I feel I've earned my spot at a championship that has eluded me for so long."
Watch the full interview here:
With three victories in his past four outings, a case can be made for Reece McLaren to be pushed into a possible interim world title picture should 'Mighty Mouse' continue to delay his comeback fight.
No.3-ranked Danny Kingad of the Philipines has gone 1-2 in his past three appearances, while second-ranked Yuya Wakamatsu has picked up two wins in his past three fights.
Meanwhile, former kingpin Adriano Moraes has not returned to action since suffering back-to-back defeats to Johnson.
Given how things stand, 'Lightning's' theory about him deserving a five-round duel on the global stage isn't too far-fetched.
North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription can catch the entire ONE Fight Night 22 card via replay.
Reece McLaren claims that Demetrious Johnson is holding up the division
Reece McLaren did not hold anything back in his post-fight interview with Sportskeeda's Nick Atkin following his triumphant outing inside the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium last Friday, May 3.
During the same exchange, he fired more shots in the direction of the divisional king, who, earlier this week, said he would be down for a boxing challenge against "a legend of the sport" in Manny Pacquiao:
"I think DJ is calling his shots. It's looking like he wants to box. If you're gonna go box, man, just don't hold up the division."
