“Everyone knows I won that fight” – Reece McLaren still eager to settle unfinished business with rival Danny Kingad

Aussie ONE flyweight MMA stalwart Reece McLaren found his way back to the winning column by out-pointing China's Hu Yong via a close split-decision win at ONE Fight Night 22 last weekend. Starting his stint in ONE Championship way back in 2015, 'Lightning' Reece McLaren is a veteran who knows how to win even in the most dire of situations.

Despite getting hurt by Hu early in the bout, the Aussie grappling specialist adjusted his game and mounted enough offense to sway the judges' nod.

Speaking of close decisions, another one on McLaren's record that stands out was his razor-close loss to Filipino striking specialist Danny Kingad. 'The King' defeated 'Lightning' via split decision back in 2019 at ONE: Dawn of Heroes.

Reece McLaren addressed the Kingad loss in his post-event media scrum:

“I think everyone knows I won that fight. I think he'd be hiding up in the mountains ever since I've been calling for that fight.”

Watch the full interview here:

---

Reece McLaren's aggression and takedowns overcame Hu Yong's power at ONE Fight Night 22

Hu Yong hurt McLaren early by sitting him down with a crushing right hand. The rest of the round saw the Aussie desperately trying to bring the fight to the ground while the Chinese slugger repeatedly tagged him with hard shots.

In the second round, Reece McLaren switched his strategy by surprisingly meeting Hu in the middle of the ring to trade leather. 'Lightning' used the threat of the takedown to create openings for him to land nifty combinations up top. Hu, on his end, kept the threat of his KO power by landing singular shots that seemingly rattled McLaren every time they landed.

This trend continued into the final round, with Hu constantly hunting for the kill shot while McLaren peppered him with darting strikes while mixing in some well-timed takedowns. In the end, McLaren won the bout via split decision.

ONE Fight Night 22 is available on demand for Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.