“I Enjoy the Feeling of a Firefight” – Hu Yong Eager to Trade Leather With Reece McLaren at One Fight Night 22

Hu Yong is always looking to test his skills while putting on a good show for fans. On Friday, May 3, the Chinese star will get a chance to do that once again when he faces #4-ranked Reece ‘Lightning’ McLaren in a flyweight MMA matchup at ONE Fight Night 22: Sundell vs. Diachkova inside the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.  

Throughout his four-year tenure in ONE Championship, Hu has proven he has what it takes to bring it to anyone in his stacked division. He is enjoying an 8-1 slate in the promotion and has won his last three fights, including a first-round knockout over former flyweight MMA titleholder Geje Eustaquio at ONE 164 in December 2022. 

Hu Yong doesn’t want a boring fight

Speaking to ONE in a recent interview, ‘Wolf Warrior’ expressed his excitement about facing a formidable opponent in McLaren on his next outing. “I don’t want to have a boring fight, so I like to fight early and directly. I like to fight like a warrior. I enjoy the feeling of a firefight. It gets me excited. And that’s why I do so well at the beginning of fights,” he said. 

Against McLaren, Hu will be going up against a perennial contender, who has seven finishes in his nine wins in ONE. A dangerous foe like ‘Lightning’ would presumably call for special preparations. However, the Sunkin International Fight Club representative is simply content with honing every aspect of his game. 

“I don’t prepare specific weapons. What I need to do is keep striking and find a chance to knock him out,” Hu said.

Hu explains his perfect fight

McLaren has been a part of the ONE Championship for nearly a decade, and he has made a name for himself as more of a grappler than a striker. That said, the Aussie veteran has displayed an improved stand-up game lately, thanks to his work with legendary striker John Wayne Parr. 

While he has since moved to the CMBT Training Centre to focus on his all-around skill set, he will undoubtedly still have confidence in his newly discovered fire on the feet.

Hu is excited by this, and he is optimistic that their fight won’t go the distance this Friday. “I think it will not be a full three-round fight. For me, the perfect fight is to KO my opponent and ignite the passion of all the people watching,” the Chinese star said. All the action from ONE Fight Night 22 will be broadcast live and free on Prime Video for fans across North America with an active Amazon subscription.