By Ivan Saldajeno
MANILA--Filipino-Australian fighter Reece McLaren fell prey to Kazakhstan's Kairat Akhmetov in a battle of flyweight contenders at ONE on Prime Video 10 on Saturday (Philippine Time) at the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado.
Akhmetov's brilliance in the ground game early on set the tone for him even as he showed his striking power too in Round 3 to seal the win against McLaren.
Akhmetov slowed McLaren down in the first two rounds with five takedowns as the latter, known for his well-roundedness, struggled to bounce back.
Akhmetov then connected on crucial strikes in the final round, including a high kick to McLaren's head, to complete the dominating job.
All three judges agreed that Akhmetov, the number two-ranked contender, got the better of McLaren, ranked fourth, as the former, now at 27-2, could very well be in line for a future title shot against the winner of the Demetrious Johnson-Adriano Moraes showdown later Saturday for the ONE flyweight title.
McLaren, on the other hand, fell to 16-9 as his own road to the world title hit a snag.
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