"Next up, it's gonna be you!" - Sanzhar Zakirov declares permanent move to flyweight, calls out Reece McLaren

ONE strawweight MMA rising star Sanzhar Zakirov believes moving up to the 135-pound flyweight MMA division will be best for his career. In fact, he challenged one of the division's stalwarts, Reece McLaren.

Speaking with the Bangkok Post following his unanimous decision victory over Tatsumitsu Wada at ONE Fight Night 27 last Friday, Jan. 10, the Uzbek standout said:

"Next up, we're hoping to fight Reece McLaren. He fought against an old guy. We have the right fit right here. So next up, it's gonna be you. Good luck!"

Watch the entire interview below:

The 21-year-old was referring to McLaren's hard-fought split decision victory over ONE interim strawweight MMA world champion Jarred Brooks at ONE Fight Night 26 last December.

While going toe-to-toe with 'Lightning' would be a giant leap in competition for Zakirov, the Khaturaev Team affiliate likely views it as an opportunity to establish his name on the global stage of ONE.

Fans in the United States and Canada with an active Prime Video subscription can rewatch ONE Fight Night 27 on demand.

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Sanzhar Zakirov already on Jarred Brooks' hit list

Sanzhar Zakirov drew the attention of Jarred Brooks after posting two TKO finishes in three wins. The latter is ready to fight Zakirov if ever the opportunity arises.

Brooks said as much during the ONE Fight Night 24 post-event interviews after capturing the interim crown over Gustavo Balart in August:

"So I show people that I'm willing to take all and I'm not worried about anybody else in the division. So if they want to give me Keito Yamakita for another interim belt, or if they want to give me Sanzhar [Zakirov]. With Sanzahar, he's only really had one fight outside of the top 10. So I think Yamakita would be a good fight for me. But Sanzhar, hey, I'm not worried about you either."