Reece McLaren Eyes World Title Shot With Win In Colorado

As Reece McLaren returns to the Circle on Friday, May 5, he hopes to win a ONE Flyweight World Championship chance as well as redemption against an old rival.

The #4-ranked fighter has been in the division's top tier for years, but he understands that defeating #2-ranked Kairat Akhmetov at ONE Fight Night 10 will show that he's ready for the next step.

When they first met in 2019, McLaren was defeated unanimously by "The Kazakh."

But, the BJJ black belt has worked hard to improve his striking alongside Muay Thai icon John Wayne Parr in Australia and believes his all-around MMA game has reached a new level.

With that in mind, he believes the rematch with Akhmetov at Colorado's 1stBank Center will be a whole different tale.

Reece McLaren has his sights set on the ONE Flyweight World Title, and he's getting closer.

With four stoppage victories in his last five fights, "Lightning" believes he's built a solid foundation. With Kairat Akhmetov's remarkable five-bout winning streak, the Aussie believes this battle will produce the next contender.

“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,” Reece noted in an interview with ONE Championship.

He also talked about matching up with Demetrious Johnson and Adriano Moraes.

“I feel so honored to be asked to be on this card. To be given the opportunity that if the main events falls out, we may get a bit of a look in. It’s goosebumps sort of stuff. I think I’ll match up great against [Johnson or Moraes]. I have a big left foot and a bigger right hand, and I’m learning to make it count,” he added.

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