“Absolutely everything” - Veteran Reece McLaren says world title would be the culmination of all the hard work he put in  

Reece McLaren has his sights set on ONE Championship gold.

After nearly a decade of competing on martial arts' biggest global stage, 'Lightning' could score perhaps the biggest win of his career thus far at ONE Fight Night 26 on Friday, December 6, when he squares off with interim ONE strawweight MMA world champion Jarred 'The Monkey God' Brooks.

Winner in three of his last four, McLaren has already earned himself a spot as the fourth-ranked contender in ONE's flyweight MMA division.

With a win over Brooks inside the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, 'Lightning' could solidify his spot as the next man in line for a shot at the flyweight title.

“Securing [a World Title shot] would be a good affirmation, but winning that World Title would mean absolutely everything,” McLaren told the promotion in a recent interview.

It's been a long road for McLaren since his promotional debut in 2015, but with wins over Xie Wei, Windson Ramos, and Hu Yong, the Aussie fan favorite could be on the cusp of a golden opportunity under the ONE banner.

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Reece McLaren eyeing flyweight throne after Demetrious Johnson's retirement

This time last year, the flyweight division was locked down with Demetrious Johnson sitting atop the throne.

Now that 'Mighty Mouse' has retired from MMA — laying down his 26 pounds of gold in the process — fighters like McLaren now have the chance to take over as the top dog at 135 pounds.

“With DJ retiring, I think for sure I’ll put my name way up at the top for a shot for the vacant belt coming off a good win," McLaren added. "Look, I think I was scheduled to fight for that title so long ago that that title still wears on me. So I kind of feel like that still needs to happen."

Is it McLaren's time to shine on martial arts' biggest global stage, or will 'The Monkey God' prove to be too much to handle inside the Mecca of Muay Thai?

Fans in the United States and Canada can watch ONE Fight Night 26 live on Amazon Prime Video on Friday, December 6 in U.S. primetime.