"He can do whatever, man" - Reece McLaren happy to be on the receiving end of Jarred Brooks' usual pre-fight antics

Reece McLaren says he's more than happy to be on the receiving end of Jarred Brooks' usual pre-fight antics. The No.4-ranked flyweight MMA contender in the organization has a new and thrilling matchup ahead at ONE Fight Night 26, which has the makings of an all-time classic.

Coming from the strawweight division to test his skills is ONE interim strawweight MMA king Jarred Brooks, who is set to begin his quest for double-gold. With both men boasting mean MMA records, it seems they were always meant to fight one another.

McLaren's all-encompassing skillset pairs well with Brooks' grappling-heavy fighting style. However, there is an important attribute that Brooks has that Reece McLaren doesn't — 'The Monkey God' is an expert trash-talker.

Speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda MMA, McLaren shared his thoughts about potentially being on the receiving end of Brooks' pre-fight antics, saying:

"I'm intrigued to see if he actually does. I'm expecting him to try and get in my face and shit at weigh-ins, like that's what he has to do, right? He has to hate the person to fight them. He can do whatever, man. F***ing contract signed, bro."

ONE Fight Night 26 airs live on Dec. 6 via Prime Video for North American subscribers.

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Reece McLaren reflects on Kairat Akhmetov loss as necessary wake-up call that motivated him to hone his craft

Reece McLaren says that his MMA loss to Kazakhstani wrestler Kairat Akhmetov in 2023, was a bit of a wake-up call that motivated him to go back to the drawing board and work on his craft.

The Australian martial artist put on a great show the last time he stepped foot on American soil at ONE Fight Night 10 to fight top flyweight contender Kairat Akhmetov at the sold-out 1stBank Center in Denver, Colorado.

However, Akhmetov was the better man that night, primarily due to his wrestling. Taking the loss to heart, McLaren says that he's gone back to the drawing board to focus on all aspects of MMA, not just striking.

As a BJJ black belt, McLaren believed it was time to press the reset button and go back to training the fundamentals. Speaking to ONE, he said:

"I'm not just a striker. So it's made us take the MMA journey back down the road a little bit and focus on actual MMA."