Reece McLaren to face former flyweight world champion Kairat Akhmetov at ONE Fight Night 10

Australian Reece McLaren is headed to the United States for his next appearance inside the circle.

McLaren, a 12-time flyweight mixed martial arts world champion, is scheduled to square off against former ONE flyweight titleholder Kairat Akhmetov in a battle of top-five flyweights. The clash will take place when ONE Championship heads to the 1stBank Center in Colorado for its long-awaited debut in the United States. The bout was first reported by Sporting News.

McLaren vs. Akhmetov won’t be the only high-profile flyweight battle going down at ONE Fight Night 10 on Prime Video. The card is scheduled to be headlined by a massive trilogy bout between reigning ONE flyweight world champion Demetrious Johnson and the man he defeated to capture the crown, Adriano Moraes.

Reece McLaren is coming off a successful 2022 inside the circle having earned back-to-back finishes. ‘Lightning’ kicked things off with a first-round submission of Xie Wei at ONE 158. He followed that up with a second-round knockout of Windson Ramos at ONE 162 four months later.

Akhmetov, meanwhile, is currently riding a five-fight win streak that dates back to 2018. One of those victories came against McLaren in 2019. Their fight on May 5 will serve as both a rematch and a potential ONE world title eliminator.

---

Demetrious Johnson believes Reece McLaren is on the cusp of a ONE world title shot

Demetrious Johnson believes Reece McLaren could be one big win away from his shot at the ONE flyweight world championship.

In an interview with the promotion, ‘Mighty Mouse’ said:

“Reece McLaren, he’s right there. He’s a great athlete. He was in the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix and came up short against [current No.2 contender] Kairat Akhmetov. Yeah, his striking was good, man.”

Johnson went on to win that ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix on his way to becoming a ONE world champion this past August at ONE on Prime Video 1.

With his eyes firmly locked on defending his title against the always dangerous Adriano Moraes on May 5, ‘Mighty Mouse’ may have a fresh matchup waiting for him against the well-rounded Australian.

However, before the pair can start making a date for their dance inside the circle, McLaren will have to do what he failed to in 2019 by defeating the Kazakhstan native who handed him a unanimous decision loss at ONE: A New Era.