John Wayne Parr says Reece McLaren’s striking is now ‘next level’

John Wayne Parr praised ONE flyweight contender Reece McLaren for evolving into a well-rounded fighter.

‘The Gunslinger’ recently joined ONE Championship for an interview to discuss one of his students, McLaren. ‘Lighting’ returns to the Circle on May 5 for a potential number one contender fight against Kairat Akhmetov at ONE Fight Night 10 on Prime Video, the promotion’s first event on U.S. soil. During Parr’s interview with ONE, he had this to say about how his student:

“[McLaren’s] striking is at the next level now. His ground game has always been amazing. And now his striking is quite strong as well. He’s putting these combinations together very well. And he can switch it from southpaw to orthodox.”

In March 2019, McLaren and Akhmetov fought in the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix quarterfinals. ‘The Kazakh’ emerged victorious with a unanimous decision, taking another step toward regaining the ONE flyweight world championship. Since then, the Kazakhstan-born fighter has won three more fights, extending his winning streak to five.

Meanwhile, Reece McLaren has won four of his last five fights since fighting Kairat Akhmetov. ‘Lighting’ last fought in October 2022, defeating Windson Ramos to secure his second consecutive win. The 31-year-old has improved drastically over the past three years, which he plans to showcase in the rematch against Akhmetov.

Akhmetov vs. McLaren goes down on the ONE Fight Night 10 undercard. The historic event will take place inside the sold-out 1stBank Center in Colorado. For those that can’t attend, ONE Fight Night 10 can be seen live and for free by North American Prime Video subscribers.

Check out the ONE Fight Night 10 fight card featuring Kairat Akhmetov vs. Reece McLaren below: