"He's the greatest mixed martial artist of all time" - Reece McLaren weighs in on Demetrious Johnson's GOAT status in MMA
Reece McLaren voiced his respect for one of the greatest fighters of all time, ONE flyweight MMA world champion Demetrious Johnson.
In March 2019, Johnson started a new chapter in his legendary fighting career and made his ONE Championship debut. Since then, 'Mighty Mouse' has continued to build his legacy by establishing a 5-1 promotional record, including two wins for the ONE flyweight MMA world title.
McLaren, a contender in the ONE flyweight MMA division, recently did an interview following his latest win at ONE Fight Night 22. 'Mighty Mouse' was brought up and 'Lightning' capitalized on the opportunity to praise the world champion in his division:
"Man, he's been in this for what I believe is way longer than, what? I've been in this sport, to him, I'm a baby in the sport so the man, of course he's the greatest mixed martial artist of all time."
Johnson last fought in May 2023, defeating Adriano Moraes by unanimous decision in a trilogy bout. In several interviews before his latest appearance, 'Mighty Mouse' discussed potentially retiring regardless of the result. The ONE flyweight MMA king hasn't made a public decision, but there's optimism about him fighting again later this year.
Watch Reece McLaren's entire post-event interview at ONE Fight Night 22 below:
Reece McLaren bounces back with impressive win at ONE Fight Night 22
In May 2023, Reece McLaren suffered a unanimous decision loss against Kairat Akhmetov in a potential number-one flyweight contender matchup. McLaren returned to action a year later against Hu Yong at ONE Fight Night 22.
McLaren and Hu battled in a back-and-forth war for three rounds. In the end, 'Lightning' bounced back from his loss against Akhmetov with a split-decision win, putting him back in the ONE flyweight MMA title picture.
The replay of ONE Fight Night 22, including McLaren's win against Hu, can be seen for free by North American and Canadian viewers with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.