Reece McLaren found himself under fire early, but the Queenslander proved the better fighter down the stretch in his split decision win over fifth-ranked flyweight MMA contender Hu Yong.
“Lightning” got the job done at ONE Fight Night 22: Sundell vs. Diachkova, which took place at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on May 4.
McLaren was wobbled three times in the opening round, as the quick hands of Hu proved to be a thorn in his side.
Late in the round, however, the 32-year-old was able to finally drag Hu to the mat before hitting a head kick as the Chinese contender escaped.
McLaren was on his bike in round two, as his Chinese foe visibly slowed down. He hit another takedown with 1:20 left on the clock but lost position as he hunted an armbar.
Both men appeared to be feeling the effects of the fight’s furious pace in the third, but it was McLaren who fared the better.
The CMBT Training Centre representative consistently landed shots on the hesitant Hu, before hitting another late takedown and going close with a rear-naked choke.
McLaren unloaded ground and pound on the exhausted Hu as the final bell sounded. The final sequence was perhaps the difference as the Aussie took out the split call.
The gruelling win over another top five contender keeps fourth-ranked McLaren in the world title hunt.
ONE’s stacked flyweight MMA division is headlined by ONE flyweight MMA world champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson.
ONE Fight Night 22: Sundell vs. Diachkova Full Results
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ONE Women’s Strawweight Muay Thai World Title: Smilla Sundell defeated Natalia Diachkova via TKO (referee stoppage – body punch and knees) R2, 2:59
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Featherweight MMA: Akbar Abdullaev defeated Halil Amir via knockout (left hook) R2, 2:52
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Lightweight Muay Thai: Sinsamut Klinmee defeated Dmitry Menshikov via knockout (clinch, elbow-knee combination) R3, 1:33
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Catchweight (174lb) MMA: Maurice Abevi defeated Zhang Lipeng via unanimous decision
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Bantamweight Kickboxing: Wei Rui defeated Hiroki Akimoto via unanimous decision
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Flyweight MMA: Reece McLaren defeated Hu Yong via split decision
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Lightweight Kickboxing: Rungrawee Sitsongpeenong defeated Bogdan Shumarov via split decision
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Women’s Atomweight MMA: Chihiro Sawada defeated Noelle Grandjean via unanimous decision
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Strawweight Muay Thai: Zakaria El Jamari defeated Thongpoon PK Saenchai via unanimous decision
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Catchweight (132lb) Submission Grappling: Bianca Basilio defeated Nanami Ichikawa via submission (rear-naked choke), 0:35
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Flyweight Muay Thai: Sean Climaco defeated Josue Cruz via knockout (left body shot) R1, 2:06
