SUMMARY
- Hu Yong will fight Reece McLaren at ONE Fight Night 22.
- Yong is confident about winning the bout via KO on May 3.
Chinese Flyweight MMA contender “Wolf Warrior” Hu Yong is gearing up for his next bout at ONE Fight Night 22: Sundell vs. Diachkova on Prime Video with plans to keep his knockout streak alive. Scheduled for May 3 in U.S. primetime, Hu, the current #5-ranked contender, takes on #4-ranked Reece “Lightning” McLaren at Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.
This crucial matchup is Hu’s opportunity to extend his impressive three-fight winning streak and overtake a fellow contender in the jam-packed divisional rankings. It also follows his latest bout at ONE Fight Night 15, a 63-second TKO of Indonesia’s Eko Roni Saputra.
Known for his incredible hand speed, dynamic footwork, and fiery combinations, Hu plans to rely on his striking abilities against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt McLaren.
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“I don’t prepare specific weapons. What I need to do is keep striking and find a chance to knock him out. I don’t want to have a boring fight, so I like to fight early and directly. I like to fight like a warrior,” Hu said.
With that, Hu anticipates another swift victory, aiming for his third first-round knockout in a row. “I think it will not be a full three-round fight. For me, the perfect fight is to KO my opponent and ignite the passion of all the people watching,” he said.
Brimming with confidence against a game contender like McLaren, Hu has to bring his A-game into this fight while entertaining the crowd at Lumpinee with fast-paced and fiery action.
Hu Yong is not worried about Reece McLaren’s striking skills
Hu Yong is already aware that Reece McLaren will not be a pushover. The Australian fan favorite is very dangerous on the ground. The veteran has collected six submissions out of 15 fights against top contenders and rising stars. Nonetheless, “Wolf Warrior” expects McLaren to bring this fight to the canvas, where he has prepared something for his rival.
“He’s a strong grappler. I’ve prepared for a lot of avoiding getting it to the ground. I’m sure it won’t be that easy for him to take me down, and even if he does, he’ll have a hard time controlling me on the ground, and I’ll definitely want to stay in a stand-up fight,” Hu said.
Recently, McLaren also honed his striking skills with legendary Muay Thai icon John Wayne Parr – in which he has shown plenty of improvements in his latest appearances. However, Hu is still putting lots of faith in his own skills and physicality.
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“He definitely has improved in striking, but this improvement is not enough to make him become a top striker. He has poor knockout ability in striking, and he’s weak in physical strength and fitness. My advantages are heavy punches and great physical strength and fitness,” he said.
Although the Chinese striking ace dismissed his opponent’s overall athleticism, it will be interesting to see how this match on May 3 plays out with divisional rankings at stake.