Reece McLaren wants ONE Flyweight MMA World Title: “I’m coming for what’s mine”

Fourth-ranked ONE Championship flyweight MMA star Reece McLaren believes he’s cinched his opportunity with both hands at ONE Fight Night 26 as he looks ahead to a huge 2025.  

The charismatic Australian outworked interim strawweight MMA king Jarred Brooks this past Friday, December 6, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium. Now he believes he did enough to place his name in the hat for a shot at the vacant ONE Flyweight MMA World Title. 

Should he get the opportunity to vie for gold, it’ll be McLaren’s first World Title bout since ONE: AGE OF DOMINATION in December 2016 in the bantamweight division. That night, he fell short to former king Bibiano Fernandes across five rounds of action.  

But eight years later, McLaren has evolved tenfold to remain in the division’s upper echelon. And now time will only tell if “Lightning” will get his shot at the vacant strap. 

Reece McLaren proclaims he’s the “uncrowned king” after ONE Fight Night 26

Australian slugger Reece McLaren now looks at himself as a king without a throne, a champion without a belt. Fortunately, the number one item on his to-do list for 2025 is to wear the flyweight MMA division’s coveted gold.  

McLaren believes the cream always rises to the top. And after almost a decade in ONE, he’s insistent that his time is now.  

Speaking to ONE Championship after a hard-earned win over ONE Interim Strawweight MMA World Champion Jarred Brooks, McLaren sensed he’s the next in line.  

“I’ve been here for nine years, trying to work my way up. I get close, I fail, I get close this time, and I finally succeeded,” he said on Instagram. 

“I’m coming for what’s mine. I feel like I’m the uncrowned champ, the uncrowned king. Give me that gold, baby.”