Jarred Brooks will make a move to ONE Championship‘s flyweight division on Friday, December 6, at ONE Fight Night 26. Awaiting him on the other side of the ring in Bangkok, Thailand, will be Reece McLaren. The contenders will have eyes on making an impression to potentially earn a right to challenge for the vacant ONE Flyweight MMA World Title.
The Aussie does not believe the move will go well for Brooks. While confident in the stylistic matchup, McLaren does not believe Brooks has the size to make a run at flyweight. He will look to prove that thesis right on December 6.
“Every time [Brooks] talked about coming up to fight DJ [Demetrious Johnson], he kept talking about coming up to flyweight. I would constantly be telling him he’s too small, too short. I’m standing by that. You should stay at strawweight, bro,” McLaren stated to ONE.
Can’t miss this 👀 Will Reece McLaren seize the moment against Jarred Brooks at ONE Fight Night 26 on @PrimeVideo?#ONEFightNight26 | Dec 6 at 8PM ET
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🌍 Live TV broadcast in 190+ countries (check local listings) pic.twitter.com/x5oQmFmOaG— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) November 25, 2024
McLaren admitted he may not be in peak condition for the flyweight showdown because he accepted the match on four weeks’ notice. But he still promised to be an all-action athlete on December 6, promising violence. With a healthy track record, the claim is hard to argue against.
“I’m always trying to make everyone else look like an amateur and be the only pro of the night sort of thing. We both bring it. I’m gonna try and bring it in as fit as I can within a four-week camp. He’s probably not gonna be fighting the best Reece, but he’s definitely as hell going to be fighting the most violent. I can guarantee violence,” the flyweight said.
Brooks has been dominant in his run at strawweight, with his only loss coming by way of DQ. While McLaren believes he can be one-dimensional with his wrestling, “Lightning” is not looking past Brooks at ONE Fight Night 26. He knows the American is a top-flight athlete who poses a significant threat once the bell rings.
“He is a current World Champion and a World Champion for a reason. I cannot deny his skill. He is an awesome fighter, I think. I feel like I should be fighting for a World Title. If that’s not the case, then this stamps my name on that top-tier list for the next title contender by taking out a current World Champion,” the Aussie commented.
McLaren has been chasing the ONE Flyweight MMA World Title for years and has yet to grab gold. With Johnson out of the picture, he understands he has a tremendous opportunity to punch his ticket with a standout performance in Bangkok. The allure of gold is the only thing on McLaren’s mind heading into ONE Fight Night 26.
“With DJ retiring, I think for sure I’ll put my name way up at the top for a shot for the vacant belt coming off a good win. Look, I think I was scheduled to fight for that title so long ago that that title still wears on me. So I kind of feel like that still needs to happen. Securing [a World Title shot] would be a good affirmation, but winning that World Title would mean absolutely everything,” McLaren said.
ONE Fight Night 26 airs live on Friday, December 6, on Prime Video. The action begins at 8 p.m. EST/5 p.m. PST. The event is free for all Amazon Prime subscribers in the U.S. and Canada.
