Reece McLaren Believes Title Shot is Near After Latest ONE Championship Win

Reece McLaren believes his latest win over Yong Hu warrants a long overdue title shot in ONE Championship.

McLaren returned to action after a year on Friday, scoring a split-decision win over Hu at One on Prime Video 22. The win saw “Lightning” bounce back from a unanimous decision loss against Kairat Akhmetov and better his promotional record to 10-6. The Australian veteran believes he is at a point in his career where he is never too far removed from the title picture.

“I feel that I am, at any stage, on any win, one step away from that world title shot,” McLaren said at the post-fight press conference. “Regardless of being ranked or not ranked. I've been in ONE now for nearly nine years, [with] 10 wins. I was meant to fight for the flyweight (135-pound) belt back in 2016. You know what I mean? So it's been a long run.”

“It's been a long journey, man. I feel like I've paid my dues. It's time to start getting appreciated for what we do here in ONE, the best flyweights in the world are in ONE Championship. I have been saying that for years.”

Sitting above McLaren on the flyweight ladder is former foe Danny Kingad. Kingad beat McLaren via split decision in their initial encounter in 2019. While McLaren welcomes the opportunity to avenge the controversial loss, the Australian isn’t willing to wait for anyone.

“I think everyone knows I won that fight,” McLaren said. “I think he's [Kingad] been hiding up in the mountains ever since I've been calling for that fight. Like I said, I'm not here to wait in any line. I'm not here to play any game. I want that belt, man. I want my flyweight belt.”