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ONE flyweight contender Reece McLaren is now a complete and well-rounded fighter, according to coach and Muay Thai legend John Wayne Parr.
'Lightning' is readying for his long-awaited rematch against Kairat Akhmetov, which will go down at ONE Fight Night 10 on Prime Video. The flyweights fought in 2019, when Akhmetov won by unanimous decision.
Parr, a fellow Australian native, told ONE Championship that Reece McLaren has more confidence in competing wherever the fight ends up. Parr stated:
"Hopefully, in his fight, depending on where it goes, even on his feet, Reece now has more confidence in his new tools. So he really likes the striking element. But if it goes to the ground, he’s happy to be anywhere – striking or submissions. Either way, he’s world-class."
Reece McLaren says he learned a lot from first loss to Akhmetov, claims he has grown more than him since
McLaren has captured four wins since losing to Kairat Akhmetov, but he claims to have learned and grown a lot over the past few years. He told ONE:
“I know exactly where I went wrong and what happened. So I instantly grew from it. And I’m super pumped to get back in there with him and test this new skill.”
'Lightning' added:
“I think it’s unrecognizable [how much I’ve changed.] I think I’ve shown that I’m more diverse. I’m different. Totally different. I don’t want to bag on Akmetov, but with all respect to him, it’s like, “Man, you’re still the same.”
Meanwhile, Akhmetov is an impressive 7-2 inside the circle, with his lone defeats coming by decision against former flyweight world champions Adriano Moraes and Geje Eustaquio.
Both McLaren and Akhmetov are in the top five of the ONE Championship flyweight rankings. They're chasing Demetrious Johnson and Adriano Moraes, who are battling it out for the world title at ONE Fight Night 10.
Make sure to tune in to ONE Fight Night 10 on May 5 to watch Reece McLaren attempt to avenge his prior loss to Kairat Akhmetov, live from the 1stBank Center in Colorado.
All of the action will be broadcast live and for free to Amazon Prime subscribers across North America.
