Needing to prove that he deserves another crack at the ONE Flyweight World Championship, Filipino-American Reece McLaren made an emphatic statement. The 26-year-old took home a split decision win over Tatsumitsu Wada during ONE: Battle for the Heavens, Saturday evening.
McLaren improves his record to 12-5, and will look to secure a bout with Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio.
The contest was competitive from the opening bell.
Wada took an unorthodox stance, which made it difficult for “Lightning” to land clean strikes early in the first stanza. McLaren tried to take the match to the ground, but the Japanese athlete defended well.
Following an accidental kick that landed low, the Australian went for a takedown and even clinched with his adversary, but it was the “The Sweeper” who brought him to the canvas.
Wada was methodical when he dropped his ground strikes, but left enough room for McLaren to attempt a triangle choke. The 29-year-old Tokyo, Japan resident quickly escaped the submission, and action resumed on the feet. They closed the frame exchanging strikes in the clinch.
In the second round, the Aussie recommitted his efforts to bring the match to his favored battleground on the mat. He masterfully hit a double-leg takedown on Wada, and landed strategic ground strikes while attempting to advance position.
At one point, McLaren got the full mount, and then transitioned to his rival’s back during a scramble. He tried his hardest to secure the rear-naked choke, and later an armbar, but “The Sweeper” maintained his cool and displayed tremendous defense.
With the match too close to call, Wada turned up the aggressiveness in the final stanza, and dragged the Australian to the canvas early in the frame. “Lightning” remained calm, and threw elbows and strikes from the bottom.
The action was restarted halfway through the stanza, and McLaren went to work. The Gold Coast native landed some fierce strikes, and, from the clinch, hit an inside leg-trip takedown. He maintained top position, went for a choke, and then transitioned to full mount in the waning seconds of the contest.
Same could not be said for Team Lakay’s Gina Iniong.
In a highly-competitive match-up, Iniong fell to the wrong side of the cards, suffering a unanimous decision loss to Istela Nunes, earlier in the evening.
The Brazilian kept Iniong out of range with a heavy stream of kicks from the outside, and she often forced her rival to overcommit to her strikes in an effort to close the distance.
Towards the end of the opening stanza, “Conviction” dropped Nunes with a counter right hand. The 25-year-old Brazilian, however, was able to recover, and fired back with a combination against the ropes.
The pair started off the second frame a little more cautiously, but the action soon picked up, with the atomweights trading heavy blows at the center of the ONE ring. Iniong pushed the pace, applied more pressure, and put together more combinations.
Nunes increased her aggression in the third and final stanza, and quickly landed a pair of head kicks.
The Filipina desperately tried to change the complexion of the bout by going for a handful of takedowns, but her taller adversary defended well against them and kept the match upright, where she continued to utilize her reach advantage to great success.
Right at the end, the Brazilian connected with a sensational jumping roundhouse kick to the side of Iniong’s head, which punctuated an exceptional striking performance.
To open the night, Robin Catalan submitted Adrian Mattheis in the second round with a heel hook.
The Filipino strawweight moves his professional record to 8-3, and now finds himself on a two-bout win streak.
Photos and Story from ONEFC.com
