Rivalries: Reece McLaren

Order UFC 280 "Oliveira vs. Makhachev" exclusively on ESPN+

The jury remains out on where exactly Reece McLaren falls on the gatekeeper-contender spectrum within the One Championship flyweight division.

Now 31 years of age, the Australian will seek to improve upon an 8-5 record in the promotion when he confronts Windson Ramos in a featured ONE 162 attraction on Friday at Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. McLaren has rattled off three wins across his past four outings. He last appeared at ONE 158, where he submitted Wei Xie with a rear-naked choke in the first round of their June 3 pairing.

As McLaren makes final preparations for his upcoming battle with Ramos at 135 pounds, a look at some of the rivalries that have helped shape his career to this point:

Mark Striegl

McLaren made a strong impression in his promotional debut, as he submitted the Evolve MMA rep with a rear-naked choke in the third round of their ONE “Spirit of Champions” co-headliner on Dec. 11, 2015 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay, Philippines. The favored Striegl tapped out 3:33 into Round 3. A replacement for Jordan Lucas, McLaren overcame a series of takedowns and a second-round knockdown against the Pacific Xtreme Combat veteran. Leg kicks were the antidote, as the Australian methodically chipped away at Striegl’s lower extremities. McLaren countered a weary takedown attempt in the third round, pounded away with elbows and advanced to the back before sinking the fight-ending choke.

Bibiano Fernandes

The Brazilian kept his stranglehold on the bantamweight crown with a five-round split decision over McLaren in the ONE “Age of Domination” co-main event on Dec. 2, 2016 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay, Philippines. Two of the three cageside judges sided with Fernandes. McLaren more than held his own. Fernandes controlled the early stages with takedowns and positional control. A strong third round for McLaren saw him stagger the champion with a clean blow that appeared to break his nose, turning the tide in the process. Fernandes stayed calm under duress and largely outstruck the challenger over the final two rounds, putting his overhand right and leg kicks to good use when it mattered most.

Tatsumitsu Wada

Takedowns, positional dominance and an active submission game carried McLaren to a split decision over the two-time Deep champion in their ONE “Battle for the Heavens” main event on July 7, 2018 at Tianhe Gymnasium in Guangzhou, China. The Australian did enough to curry favor with two of the three members of the cageside judiciary. Wada controlled much of the first round, though he was forced to extract himself from a triangle choke. From there, McLaren seized the reins. He struck for takedown in the middle stanza, climbed to full mount and transitioned to the back before threatening with a rear-naked choke-armbar series. With the outcome still in doubt, McLaren benefited from a referee restart in Round 3. He delivered another takedown, this time with an inside trip, and again achieved full mount to punctuate his performance.

Yuya Wakamatsu

The longtime Pancrase standout outstruck McLaren to a three-round unanimous decision in the ONE on TNT 3 co-feature on April 7, 2021 at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. All three judges sided with Wakamatsu. McLaren was effective in spurts. The Australian grappler swept into top position late in the first round and had begun the process of hunting a rear-naked choke when the bell sounded. From there, Wakamatsu flexed his superiority in the standup with elbows, knees and combination punching; and his takedown defense became more and more of a story as time wore on. He put the finishing touches on his latest conquest in the waning moments of the third round, where he sprawled on a takedown from McLaren, connected with knees from the front headlock position, wheeled to the Aussie’s back and delivered of volley of punches to the head.