"Everybody's going to have to tune in for that one" - Reece McLaren on his history with Adriano Moraes 

A title shot for Reece McLaren isn’t too farfetched of an idea. He’s always been one of the best flyweights in ONE Championship and is the No.5 contender for ONE flyweight world champion Adriano Moraes.

Before he takes a crack at the title, though, McLaren will first have to take on Xie Wei at ONE 158: Tawanchai vs. Larsen on June 3 which will be broadcast live from the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

McLaren said in an interview with South China Morning Post’s Tom Taylor that he has to get two strong victories and that would eventually put him across Moraes:

“I really feel that if I get two dominant wins then there’s no way you can say ‘no’ to line up for that fight… I think everyone has to tune in for that one.”

McLaren is no stranger to title fights in his ONE Championship career. He once challenged then-champion Bibiano Fernandes for the ONE bantamweight world title in December 2016.

Despite a losing effort, McLaren stuck in there with Fernandes and only lost via a close split decision.

While securing the ONE flyweight world championship is his ultimate goal, McLaren said he doesn’t want to look too far ahead and would rather focus on his match against Xie first:

“I don’t like to give too much of a prediction, or to sound too cocky in predictions so I don’t wanna look too far ahead, I’m just excited for this next one and really that’s all that I’ve been thinking about in all honesty… I think this is the best Reece everyone’s gonna see.”

Catch the full interview below:

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Reece McLaren is hyped for the matchup with Xie

Reece McLaren’s coming matchup with Xie is a classic grappler vs. striker contest. McLaren is a natural grappler with four of his seven wins in ONE Championship coming by way of submission.

Xie, meanwhile, is on a three-fight winning streak, taking all three wins by knockout.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Reece McLaren praised Xie’s penchant for throwing knockout blows:

“His hands [are dangerous]. He looks neat. He looks pretty fearless, to be honest. He looks like he stands in the pocket and trains, so it’s good. Xie Wei, what is he on, a three-fight win streak? He’s definitely surging. I’m excited about the matchup. It’s been a long time coming. I can’t wait, man.”

Despite Xie’s striking credentials, McLaren said he’ll send the match to the mat and finish off the Chinese brawler with a perfectly-executed submission:

“I think I’ll just do whatever I want, to be honest. Sit down judges, you ain’t going to be needed. I see not just weakness in his game, but just about everyone’s game. Jiu-jitsu, baby.”