If it was not for his early years of privation, ONE Championship flyweight sensation Reece McLaren might never have discovered martial arts. “Lightning” grew up in a single-mother household on Christmas Island—an Australian territory off the coast of Indonesia. The family collectively suffered through fate’s slings and arrows, which dictated that McLaren would need to start working at a very young age. A chance encounter with a co-worker in one of those jobs swung open the doors to martial arts training and the die was cast to pursue the sport diligently.
The 32-year-old returns to action when he squares off with Yong Hu in a ONE on Prime Video 22 flyweight feature this Friday at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.