Reece McLaren has been in huge fights in ONE Championship before, and he knows his battle this weekend will be another one. 

The #4-ranked flyweight MMA contender returns to action at ONE Fight Night 22: Sundell vs. Diachkova this Friday, May 3, where he’ll take on #5-ranked Hu Yong in an intriguing clash inside the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. 

Reece McLaren shares his take on Hu Yong in a recent interview

McLaren has the fight IQ to know what an upcoming foe offers, and he broke down Hu in a recent interview with ONE. 

“Yeah, he looks like he’s a great striker. He has a big right hand and swings for the fences. He’s throwing the kitchen sink at you when he throws,” he said. 

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“Wolf Warrior” is a product of the ONE Hero Series in China, and he has shown that he belongs on the global stage by scoring a trio of wins in his last three fights, which included two knockouts. 

Among his conquests in that streak are former divisional king Geje Eustaquio and South Korea’s Woo Sung Hoon, with the latter having defeated a man who has beaten him and McLaren in ONE – Yuya Wakamatsu. 

“Lightning” has been on a good run as of late, too, but he believes he and Hu require a win that will legitimize their respective claims to a World Title shot. 

“I think he’s on a three-fight win streak. He just beat the guy that beat Yuya [Wakamatsu], so this is a big turning point for myself and him, I believe. Yeah, the sky’s limit after this one if I can get the nod,” McLaren said.

Will McLaren come out on top because of his grappling skills?

The CMBT Training Centre representative has always been one of the most exciting fighters in the division. With five of his seven finishes in ONE coming by submission, there is little to no doubt he can hold his own on the ground. 

However, he has also worked with legendary striker John Wayne Parr recently, who helped him hone the stand-up game that was instrumental in his past three fights. 

McLaren has since moved on from Parr’s gym, but he says he’s kept the focus on his all-round skill set. And he intends to showcase that this weekend. 

“Honestly, I think I’ve got the wood over pretty much most of the ranked ONE Championship flyweights in the grappling aspect. Jiu-jitsu, submissions. Yeah, give me an inch, and I’ll take that mile,” he said. 

“Tune in, and you’ll see. I think it’s going to be a bashing.”

All the action from ONE Fight Night 22 will be broadcast live and free on Prime Video for fans across North America with an active Amazon subscription on Friday, May 3.