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Reece McLaren thinks Kairat Akhmetov will be surprised by his improvement since their first fight.
In March 2019, McLaren and Akhmetov met in the Circle during the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix Quarterfinals. ‘Lighting’ had his moments but ended up losing by a unanimous decision. Four years later, the ranked flyweights will fight again on May 5 at ONE Fight Night 10 on Prime Video.
During an interview with ONE, McLaren had this to say about the upcoming rematch against Akhmetov:
“It was a long time ago when we fought for the first time. I felt him. I know what he’s bringing to the table. I don’t think he knows what I’m bringing to the table this time.”
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After suffering a loss against Yuya Wakamatsu in April 2021, McLaren bounced back with two wins in 2022 against Xie Wei and Windson Ramos. ‘Lighting’ is currently the number four-ranked flyweight.
Meanwhile, Akhmetov hasn’t lost since losing the flyweight world championship against Geje Eustaquio in January 2018. Since then, the former world champion has won five consecutive fights, with his last win against Tatsumitsu Wada in June 2022.
Reece McLaren believes he earns a world title shot with win against Kairat Akhmetov
Reece McLaren vs. Kairat Akhmetov will likely have higher stakes than just winning a rematch. Both fighters are top-five ranked flyweights with arguably the best arguments for deserving a world title shot.
During an interview with ONE, McLaren had this to say about potentially fighting for the ONE flyweight world championship with a win on May 5:
“I’ll be on a three-fight win streak [if I beat Akhmetov]. I will have just beaten the number two. So that has to put me first in line. I truly believe the winner of this one will be fighting for gold. So yeah, even more reason to tune in.”
In the ONE Fight Night 10 main event, Demetrious Johnson looks to defend the flyweight world championship in a trilogy fight against Adriano Moraes. The winner between Reece McLaren and Kairat Akhmetov will be on a perfect timeline for a world title shot next, assuming nobody suffers any severe injuries. Before focusing on what’s next, the ranked flyweights are focused on the task in front of them.
ONE Fight Night 10 goes down on May 5 at the 1stBank Center and can be seen live and for free by North American Prime Video subscribers.
