Showcasing his improved striking, Fil-Aussie Reece McLaren dominated Aleksi Toivonen of Finland with a first round TKO (4:18) win during ONE: Reign of Dynasties, Friday evening at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
The finish saw the 29-year-old locking a clinch on Toivonen to corner him. A well-placed knee to the abdomen crumpled Toivonen to the mat, then a well-timed punch sealed the deal for McLaren.
“I feel bad, I shouldn’t have put that last punch in. I saw — I kind of came over and the ref wasn’t waving it off, so I had to put that one last punch in. I’m a little disgusted with myself for that one, sorry,” admitted the fifth-ranked bantamweight in ONE, who went up to 14-7.
Toivonen, on the other hand, fell to 7-1.
It was all McLaren in the match-up, as his quick combinations were riddles for Toivonen.
Besides the speed, McLaren had power in every shot, with the most telling a straight right hand that knocked down Toivonen with 1:33 left.
The event is ONE Championship’s first card in Singapore since February 28. It took place behind closed doors.
Moreover, this is McLaren first bout since December 6, 2019 — a submission win against Gary Mangat.
“I’m just thinking about my girl, my family, my team. I just want to thank Chatri [Sityodtong] so much for having me here in his home of Singapore. What an amazing experience,” expressed McLaren.
“The protocols were so tight. I just wanna go home now after two weeks of quarantine.”
