Australian bantamweight Reece McLaren will replace fellow countryman Jordan Lucas to face Filipino-American fighter Mark ‘Mugen’ Striegl in ONE Spirit of Champions.
Based on a report by Mixed Martial Arts website Dojo Drifter, the original opponent, unbeaten Australian bantamweight prospect Jordan Lucas (8-0), sustained a cut in training that forced him to withdraw from his bout with Striegl.
In a Facebook post, Lucas posted:
“2015 has been a bad year for me, I had to withdraw from my ONE Championship co-main event fight with Mark “Mugen” Striegl next Friday, unfortunately I had to get my eye stitched and glued up yesterday afternoon due to a cut, being this close to the fight and the position the cut is at, there was no chance of me being able to fight. Sorry to my opponent and also the people who were looking forward to this fight, I put my job aside and sacrificed a lot for this camp, I was in the best shape of my life and I have Team Nemesis MMA and Phuket Top Team MMA Training Camp to thank for that…I’m shattered it doesn’t get to pay off but hopefully 2016 is a better year for me, I’m still young in this game and I’ll be climbing that bantamweight ladder in no time.. Sorry.”
According to a source, Australian fighter Reece “Lightning” McLaren is set to step in to the ONE cage to replace Lucas in the co-main event bout for ONE Spirit of Champions.
“Lightning” has currently compiled a 7-3 record in his young MMA career. In his most recent fight, McLaren bagged the Eternal MMA Bantamweight Championship against Edwin Arana after a slick kimura for a first round submission victory.
McLaren has won four out of his last five fights by finishes.
Will the Australian upset the brightest bantamweight contender in the Philippines today? Or will ‘Mugen’ continue his winning ways en route to a championship shot?
ONE Spirit of Champions will be held at the SM Mall of Asia Arena on Friday, December 11, and will feature a stacked card headlined by Filipino greats Brandon Vera, Ana Julaton, and Mark Striegl. Moreover, bright young prospects from the Philippines and all over the world are featured in the stacked card as well.
