McLaren (18-9) sits on a two fight win streak, is a former bantamweight title challenger, and is coming off a victory over UFC veteran and ex-ONE champ Jarred “The Monkey God” Brooks. Yet after fighting just twice in 2024 and once in 2023, McLaren is looking to make his exit.

In an open letter to ONE Championship published on social media on Friday, McLaren, 33, suggested it came down to activity, and the company’s focus shifting from MMA to other martial arts disciplines, primarily Muay Thai.

“I want to take a moment to express my gratitude to ONE Championship for the opportunity to be part of the roster. Representing ONE has been an honor, and I have deep respect for the athletes, staff, and fans who make this organization special,” McLaren began his letter.

“However, with the promotion shifting its focus towards Muay Thai and kickboxing, along with being ghosted by a matchmaker and a lack of communication, I feel it’s time for me to move on. As a competitor, I need to stay active and continue growing.”

“With that said, I respectfully request my release from ONE Championship,” McLaren continued. “I have nothing but appreciation for the time I’ve spent under the banner, but I believe this is the best path forward for me. I look forward to new challenges and opportunities ahead.”

Wrapping up on a positive note, McLaren finished by thanking his supporters. “Thank you to everyone who has supported me on this journey—fans, teammates, coaches, and family. The best is yet to come!”

Reece McLaren debuted in ONE Championship in 2015, and after back-to-back victories (including one over current UFC fighter Muin Gafurov), he challenged Bibiano Fernandes for bantamweight gold the following year. Losing a close split decision, McLaren would remain a regular under the ONE Championship banner – but not for much longer it appears.

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Lee, a double-champ who holds gold at lightweight and welterweight for the company, has been out of action since November of 2022. That’s due in part due to the tragic death of younger sister Victoria Lee, a fellow ONE Championship fighter who took her own life in late December 2022.

Sister Angela Lee, once one of ONE Championship’s biggest stars, officially retired last year, opting not to carry on in the MMA business following the loss of her sister. Nearly two years later, however, brother Christian returns, looking to defend his lightweight title against Alibeg Rasulov.

Rasulov earned his shot at gold earlier this year, defeating former champ Ok Rae Yoon in July.

Lee versus Rasulov is one of two title fights on the ONE Fight Night 26 card, as Mayssa Bastos vs. Danielle Kelly will see the winner come away with the ONE atomweight submission grappling championship.

Where to Watch ONE Fight Night 26

The latest ONE Fight Night card takes place at the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on Friday, December 6, 2024. The event streams live on Amazon Prime Video for fans in North America. Full results from the event can be found below.

ONE Fight Night 26 Results

Christian Lee (c) vs. Alibeg Rasulov ends via No Contest due to eye poke – for the ONE lightweight championship
Kongthoranee Sor Sommai def. Nakrob Fairtex via Unanimous Decision – Muay Thai
Mayssa Bastos (c) def. Danielle Kelly via Unanimous Decision – for the ONE atomweight submission grappling championship
Reece McLaren def. Jarred Brooks via Split Decision – MMA
Elias Mahmoudi def. Denis Puric by KO, Round 3, 2:58 – Muay Thai
Yuya Wakamatsu def. Gilbert Nakatani by unanimous decision – MMA
Shamil Gasanov def. Halil Amir by unanimous decision – MMA
Cole Abate def. Shinya Aoki by heel hook, 2:25 – submission grappling
Jonathan Di Bella def. Rui Botelho by unanimous decision – kickboxing
Dante Leon def. Bruno Pucci by submission (triangle armbar), Round 1, 2:01- submission grappling
Thongpoon PK Saenchai def. Danial Williams by TKO, Round 2, 1:10 – Muay Thai

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While Reign of Dynasties, the promotion’s first fight back in Singapore, started small, it was a step in the right direction. Already announced was Inside the Matrix, with four MMA title bouts topping the card on October 30. First up, however, was a six-fight card from Singapore featuring five MMA contests, and a main event featuring two-sport ONE champ Sam-A Gaiyanghadao defending his ONE Strawweight Muay Thai World Title against Australia’s Josh Tonna.

Also on the card Friday, Finnish prospect Aleksi Toivonen, an Evolve MMA fighter with an undefeated record to start the night. Coming off a submission of Akihiro Fujisawa, Toivonen was paired up with ONE mainstay Reece McLaren.

Friday’s action was set to kick off at 8:30AM ET — check back for results. The official live stream can be viewed above (where available).

ONE Championship: Reign of Dynasties Results

Sam-A Gaiyanghadao def. Josh Tonna by TKO, Round 2, 2:30 – for the ONE strawweight Muay Thai world championship

Reece McLaren  def. Aleksi Toivonen by knockout, Round 1, 4:18
Amir Khan def. Rahul Raju by knockout, Round 1, 4:47
Eko Roni Saputra def. Murugan Silvarajoo by submission (shoulder lock), Round 1, 2:29
Hexigetu def. Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke by split decision
Roshan Mainam def. Liu Peng Shuai by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 2:27

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Unlike previous cards ONE has aired during the pandemic, the October 9 event is heavy on MMA action, with five of six bouts listed featuring mixed martial arts action. Only the main event will feature a separate discipline. That will see strawweight Muay Thai champion Sam-A Gaiyanghadao put his title on the line against Australia’s Josh Tonna.

Also on the card, another Australian, Reece McLaren (13-7) will look to make it two in a row when he takes on the undefeated Aleksi Toivonen. Singapire’s Amir Khan (12-7), meanwhile, hopes to bounce back from a loss to Kimihiro Eto in February when he takes on India’s Rahul Raju.

The full ONE Championship: Reign of Dynasties card can be found below. Details of the event, such as the location, have not been announced by the promotion. ONE’s most recently aired events have been pre-taped, closed arena cards.

Sam-A Gaiyanghadao vs. Josh Tonna (ONE Strawweight Muay Thai World Title)
Aleksi Toivonen vs. Reece McLaren (mixed martial arts – flyweight)
Amir Khan vs. Rahul Raju (mixed martial arts – lightweight)
Eko Roni Saputra vs. Murugan Silvarajoo (mixed martial arts – catch weight of 63.5 kilograms)
Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke vs. Hexigetu (mixed martial arts – strawweight)
Roshan Mainam vs. Liu Peng Shuai (mixed martial arts – flyweight)

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ONE Championship will crown its inaugural bantamweight kickboxing champion at Mark of Greatness next month. In a press release distributed to media outlets Thursday, the promotion announced that Alaverdi “Babyface Killer” Ramazanov of Russia will face “Muay Thai Boy” Zhang Chenglong in the main event title fight. Flyweight Muay Thai champ Sam-A Gaiyanghadao, meanwhile, will look to earn a second title against Wang Junguang in the co-main event. They’ll be competing for ONE’s inaugural strawweight kickboxing championship.

MMA action will see Agilan Thani (10-4) take on Mohammad Karaki (9-1), a former title challenger against Aung La N Sang. Thani most recently picked up a loss against former UFC title challenger Yushin Okami. Meanwhile Muhammad Aiman (6-3) is set to face China’s Chen Rui (7-1).

ONE Championship: Mark of Greatness takes place December 6, 2019 at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The card as announced can be found below.

Main Event
ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Championship
Alaverdi Ramazanov vs Zhang Chenglong
Kickboxing: 65.8kg

Co-Main Event
ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Championship 
Sam-A Gaiyanghadao vs Wang Junguang
Kickboxing: 56.7kg

Jihin Radzuan vs Denice Zamboanga
Mixed Martial Arts: 52.2kg

Agilan Thani vs Mohammad Karaki
Mixed Martial Arts: 83.9kg

Gurdarshan Mangat vs Reece McLaren
Mixed Martial Arts: 61.2kg

Ryuto Sawada vs Bokang Masunyane
Mixed Martial Arts: 56.7kg

Andre Stoica vs Anderson Silva
Kickboxing: 102.1kg

Muhammad Aiman vs Chen Rui
Mixed Martial Arts: 65.8kg

Tial Thang vs Kim Woon Kyoum
Mixed Martial Arts: 65.8kg

Yoon Chang Min vs Fabio Pinca
Mixed Martial Arts: 70.3kg

Rui Botelho vs Taiki Naito
Muay Thai: 61.2kg

Savannah Em vs Rayane Bastos
Mixed Martial Arts: 61.2kg

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While the UFC was busy putting on UFC 226, and working on a way for Brock Lesnar to somehow be back in the title mix, ONE Championship returned to China, hosting Battle for the Heavens on Saturday. The card represented a departure from the norm, as rather than mixing in a few ONE Super Series Muay Thai or Kickboxing bouts during the regular MMA action, a ONE Super Series title fight headlined the card.

That main event saw China’s Kai Ting Zhuang take on Yodcherry Sityodtong. And over the course of five full rounds, Zhuang consistently got the better of Sityodtong. In the end, she took home a unanimous decision victory — and the inaugural ONE Super Series Kickboxing Atomweight Championship.

In flyweight action in the co-main event, meanwhile, the promotion got back to its MMA base. There, former title challenger Reece McLaren edged past Japan’s Tatsumitsu Wada. While it may not be enough to get him another crack at the belt just yet, he’s certainly in the running now that Geje Eustaquio has unified the interim and undisputed 125lb titles in ONE.

Check out the gallery below for highlights from Battle for the Heavens in Guangzhou, China, courtesy of ONE Championship!

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ONE Championship returned to action, and returned to China on Saturday for ONE Championship: Battle for the Heavens. The card went down in Guangzhou, China, and in a bit of a twist, the main event was not an MMA contest. Instead, Thailand’s Yodcherry Sityodtong faced Chinese kickboxer Kai Ting Chuang for the ONE Super Series Kickboxing Atomweight World Championship. It would be the inaugural match for the title, giving both women a chance to make history.

Also on the card, Australia’s Reece McLaren faced Japan’s Tatsumitsu Wada in the co-main event. As well, women’s atomweight standouts Istela Nunes and Gina Iniong collided in early action.

Check below for the results from Saturday’s ONE Championship card, along with some key highlights from the night’s action.

Zhao Zhi Kang submits Ma Xu Dong with a tight guillotine choke at 1:08 of the third round! #BattleForTheHeavens #Guangzhou #MartialArts pic.twitter.com/GtInuPUeJK

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) July 7, 2018

Chinese superstar Fu Chang Xin put on an amazing performance in his ONE debut, finishing Rustem Yensebayev with a TKO at 4:32 of Round 1! #BattleForTheHeavens #Guangzhou #MartialArts pic.twitter.com/CVuemtrPln

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) July 7, 2018

The co-main event of the evening saw former flyweight title challenger Reece McLaren of Australia return to action to take on Tatsumitsu Wada from Japan. After a full three rounds of hard-fought action, McLaren managed to pull off a split decision win. Speaking in the cage afterwards, he called for a title shot against the champion who was “keeping his belt warm for me!”

In the main event, meanwhile, Chaina’s Kai Ting Zhaung went the full five rounds against Yodcherry Sityodtong in order to capture gold. In a unanimous decision, she wowed her home country on route to winning the inaugural ONE Super Series Women’s atomweight kickboxing championship.

ONE Championship: Battle for the Heavens Results:

Kai Ting Zhuang def. Yodcherry Sityodtong by unanimous decision  – For The inaugural ONE Kickboxing Women’s Atomweight Championship
Reece McLaren def Tatsumitsu Wada by split decision
Ibrahim El Bouni def. Andre Meunier by knockout, Round 1, 1:31 – ONE Super Series Kickboxing.
Changxin Fu def. Rustem Yensebayev by TKO, Round 1, 4:32
Saemapetch Fairtex def. Deividas Danyla by unanimous decision – ONE Super Series Kickboxing
Zhikang Zhao def. Meas Meu by submissions (guillotine choke), Round 3, 1:08

Preliminary Card:

Istela Nunes def. Gina Iniong by unanimous decision
Shuya Kamikubo def. Sunoto Peringkat by TKO, Round 2, 3:54
Xuewen Peng def. Eddey Kalai by TKO, Round 1, 0:57
Robin Catalan def. Adrian Matheis by submission (heel hook), Round 2, 2:10

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This past weekend, ONE Championship returned to action with Visions of Victory. The card went down at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. While originally expected to feature a flyweight title fight between champion Adriano Moraes and Reece McLaren, an injury to the champ caused a last minute switch-up in the main event. That saw Gianna Subba, a native of Malaysia, step in on short notice.

With no title on the line, the main event was switched to a three round affair. And either way, it mattered not to McLaren, who picked up a second round submission in the end.

Also in the winner’s circle at ONE Championship: Visions of Victory were former title challenger Agilan Thani, as well as Christian Lee. Lee (9-1), brother of ONE women’s atomweight champion Angela Lee, has spent his entire professional career in ONE Championship. Earning a first round TKO win against Kazunori Yokota, the promotion is no doubt hoping ‘The Warrior’ will blossom into its next star.

While the action has come and gone, you can catch some of the highlights in the gallery below, courtesy of ONE Championship.

The post ONE Championship: Visions of Victory Gallery appeared first on Cageside Press.

ONE Championship was back in action Friday, March 9. In a week where all the other major promotions were AWOL, ONE had the weekend to itself. The card suffered a late shakeup, however, when flyweight champion Adriano Moraes was forced to withdraw due to an injury suffered in training. As a result, the main event saw original challenger Reece McLaren paired up against Gianni Subba. On the line at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia was the next shot at flyweight gold.

For McLaren, it mean fighting for a shot that was already his. Subba, meanwhile, had the opportunity of a lifetime. The Malaysian fighter was excited to headline his first ONE card at home, saying in a press release that “Competing at home is always really cool. We get all these family members and friends to come out. The crowd really supports us, and that really helps a lot.”

In the co-main event of the evening, meanwhile, former welterweight title challenger and Ben Askren victim Agilan Thani faced India’s Amitesh Chaubey.

ONE Championship: Visions of Victory Results:

Reece McLaren def. Gianna Subba by submission (arm-triangle choke), Round 2
Agilan Thani def. Amitesh Chaubey by submission (kimura), Round 2
Christian Lee def. Kazunori Yokota by submission (guillotine choke), Round 2, 4:34
Danny Kingad def. Sotir Kichukov by unanimous decision
Luis Santos def. Kiamrian Abbasov by unanimous decision
Michelle Nicolini def. Iryna Kyselova by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1
Ma Jia Wen def. Ahmed Mujtaba by submission, Round 2

ONE Championship: Visions of Victory Preliminary Results:

Muhammad Aiman def. Rin Saroth by unanimous decision
Jihin Radzuan def. Puja Tomar by submission, Round 2
Khon Sichan def. Riski Umar by split decision

The post ONE Championship: Visions of Victory Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

After losing his ONE flyweight title in 2015 to Kairat Akhmetov, the last two years were all about bouncing back for Adriano Moraes. Having won interim gold in 2016, then unifying the titles last year — and avenging his loss to Akhmetov — Moraes (17-2) finished the year as ONE Championship’s reigning, defending flyweight king. Now, he’ll start 2018 with the second title defense of his current reign, taking on Australian Reece McLaren.

A hyped up prospect upon his arrival in ONE, Reece McLaren (10-5) won his first two fights with the company at bantamweight. That landed him a title shot against Bibiano Fernandes, which resulted in a close split decision loss for the Australian. After being knocked out in his subsequent fight against Kevin Belingon last August, McLaren made the decision to drop to flyweight. It was the right call, as he submitted Anatpong Bunrad in his debut in the weight class at ONE Championship: Legends of the World in November.

Closing out the year on a win, McLaren now gets another shot at gold in ONE Championship. Moraes, however, will be no easy task; the Brazilian is easily one of the top flyweights in the world.

ONE Championship: Visions of Victory takes place at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on March 9. In addition to the flyweight main event, the card includes the following bouts:

Agilan Thani vs. Amitesh Chaubey
Christian Lee vs. Kazunori Yokota
Gianni Subba vs. Danny Kingad
Luis Santos vs. Kiamrian Abbasov
Michelle Nicolini vs. Iryna Kyselova
Ahmed Mujtaba vs. Ma Jia Wen
Muhammad Aiman vs. Burn Soriano
Jihin Radzuan vs. Puja Tomar
Hisyam Samsudin vs Jerome S. Paye
Riski Umar vs. Khori Sichan

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