Reece McLaren says Kairat Akhmetov is ‘stuck in the mud’

Reece McLaren believes Kairat Akhmetov has stopped evolving as a fighter.

After winning two consecutive fights, McLaren will meet Akhmetov in the Circle for the second time in his ONE Championship career. The ranked flyweights fought in March 2019, with ‘The Kazakh’ winning by unanimous decision to advance in the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix.

Ahead of their rematch at ONE Fight Night 10 on Prime Video, ‘Lighting’ did an interview with ONE and had this to say about the upcoming rematch:

“He’s a little stuck in the mud. I’ll make him look more stuck in the mud this time.”

Although McLaren doesn’t believe Akhmetov has improved, the latter hasn’t lost since January 2018. The former ONE flyweight world champion is riding a five-fight win streak, including his latest victory against Tatsumitsu Wada in June 2022.

Meanwhile, McLaren last fought in October 2022, defeating Windson Ramos by a second-round knockout. The 31-year-old is confident he’s a different fighter since his loss against Akhmetov in 2019. ‘Lighting’ hopes to validate those claims and potentially earn a world title shot at ONE Fight Night 10 on May 5 at 1stBank Center.

Watch highlights of the first fight between Reece McLaren and Kairat Akhmetov below:

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Will the winner of Reece McLaren vs. Kairat Akhmetov earn a flyweight title shot?

Kairat Akhmetov is the number two-ranked flyweight in ONE Championship, with Reece McLaren closely behind at four. With both fighters having a longer winning streak than number three ranked Danny Kingad, the winner at ONE Fight Night 10 will likely earn a world title shot.

During an interview with ONE, McLaren had this to say about potentially being next in line for the flyweight throne:

“I’ll be on a three-fight win streak [if I beat Akhmetov]. I will have just beaten the number two. So that has to put me first in line. I truly believe the winner of this one will be fighting for gold. So yeah, even more reason to tune in.”

After the rematch between McLaren and Akhmetov plays out, the ONE flyweight world championship is up for grabs in the main event. Flyweight king Demetrious Johnson will take on Adriano Moraes in a highly-anticipated rubber match. ONE Fight Night 10 can be seen live and for free by North American Prime Video subscribers.