Self-proclaimed underdog Reece McLaren ready to prove himself

Just eight months ago, Reece “Lightning” McLaren (9-4) was in the most important bout of his career.

The 25-year-old challenged ONE Bantamweight World Champion Bibiano Fernandes for the gold and pushed him to the limits. He stunned the Brazilian titleholder, even breaking his nose midway through the five-round affair.

Still, he came up short, as he lost the competitive bout by a razor-thin split decision. “I did not do enough, I guess,” the Australian says.

McLaren has had nothing but time since the 2016 loss. Instead of sitting in the potential bitterness of the defeat, however, he used the time to sharpen his skills at the gym he calls home, Gold Coast’s Potential Unlimited Mixed Martial Arts.

While he has proven to be a world title contender, and has reached the upper echelon of ONE’s bantamweight division, “Lightning” still looks at himself as an underdog.

“I guess it is an Aussie thing,” he offers. “We are always the underdog, and that is alright. It makes us ripe for success. We always get counted out in every situation, but I like being counted out.”

Even so, it would be foolish to view McLaren as a perennial dark horse, especially given his background.

The Aussie’s early interest in martial arts began as a 14-year-old mesmerised by the moves of action star Jackie Chan. Those on-screen heroics led McLaren to his first dojo. Even as his friends drifted in and out of training, “Lightning” remained motivated.

“I was always interested in martial arts,” he recollects. “I started with kung fu, and then was slowly introduced to more disciplines. Interest in martial arts was pretty rare here, back then. My buddies and I would have a lot of fun on YouTube watching bouts, though. We would all get together, and then started trying things out on concrete until we found a real club to train at.”

However, even when McLaren and his friends found a real club, most of them gave up when it came time to hit the mats. “It was pretty daunting. I did not know anyone at the gym. It was just me and my friend. Then, two weeks later, he stopped going.”

Although his friends disappeared from the gym, “Lightning” spent most of his time there. In fact, the consistent training gave way to his devotion to the martial arts.

“I think whatever you love, you have to have passion to continue doing it,” he says. “Martial arts is a universal language. That is what I love about it. You can go anywhere in the world, and people will understand you.”

That dedication took McLaren all over the world, through the highest of mountains in martial arts, and ultimately, to the mountaintop in ONE Championship.

On Friday, 18 August, his next trip will be to the Stadium Negara in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where he will battle Team Lakay’s Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon at ONE: QUEST FOR GREATNESS.

The stakes could not be higher, as the winner could very well become the next contender to Fernandes’ bantamweight crown. An impressive showing could launch McLaren back up the mountaintop.

“Hopefully,” he says, “this match goes well, and we can do the rematch later.”