“Give me an inch, and I’ll take that mile” - Reece McLaren prepared to take huge strides in quest for ONE gold

Australian MMA fighter Reece McLaren returns to action after a year, more determined to take his world title push to a higher gear.

'Lightning' is featured in a flyweight MMA joust against Hu Yong of China at ONE Fight Night 22: Sundell vs. Diachkova on May 3 at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

It comes nearly a year since he last fought in the ONE circle on United States soil against former flyweight world champion Kairat Akhmetov.

Speaking with ONE Championship in the lead-up to his scheduled return to action, Reece McLaren touted his improved grappling game, which he believes put him in an advantage over Hu and the other contenders in the division.

The 32-year-old CMBT Training Centre affiliate said:

"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."

At ONE Fight Night 22, Reece McLaren is looking to bounce back after bowing to Akhmetov last time around by unanimous decision.

Meanwhile, out to frustrate him is Hu, 28, who is on an impressive run in ONE Championship, winning eight of nine fights, including his last three.

ONE Fight Night 22 is headlined by the ONE women's strawweight Muay Thai title clash between reigning champion Smilla Sundell and Russian challenger Natalia Diachkova.

It will air live in U.S. primetime on May 3 free of charge for existing Prime Video subscribers in North America.

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Reece McLaren confident of changes made in training for ONE Fight Night 22

For his scheduled return to action at ONE Fight Night 22 on May 3 in Thailand, Reece McLaren deemed it necessary to change camp to widen his scope and be better prepared.

Long trained under Boonchu, with legendary Muay Thai fighter John Wayne Parr, 'Lightning' decided to bolt and train under CMBT Training Centre, where he said he has learned new things and incorporated them into his game.

He is confident that he has become an improved fighter heading into ONE Fight Night 22 and looking to showcase it come fight night against Chinese opponent Hu Yong.

Reece McLaren shared to ONE Championship in an interview:

"Respectfully, I think some things just run full circle. I've made the switch now to the CMBT Training Centre. I'm training there full time and I'm already seeing a massive improvement in a few things, MMA-wise."

CMBT Training Centre is located in Queensland, where McLaren and his family are based. It is one of the premier combat sports facilities on the Gold Coast.