Top 10 MMA Prospects in Australia & New Zealand

#8 Reece McLaren (18-9)

Flyweight

34 Years Old – Boonchu Muay Thai

 

Reece McLaren is a proven veteran whose career has been defined by resilience, adaptability, and consistent success against high-level opposition. Best known for his tenure in ONE Championship, McLaren has repeatedly stepped into difficult matchups, often on short notice, and shown an ability to rebound from setbacks with strong performances. His resume includes competitive outings against elite names, highlighted by a razor-close split decision loss to Bibiano Fernandes for the ONE Bantamweight back in 2016, but also more recently in his win over Jarred Brooks in December of 2024, underscoring that McLaren has long operated at the upper end of the sport.

 

Stylistically, McLaren is at his best when fights enter the wrestling and grappling phases. A BJJ black belt with nine career submission victories, he is known for slick transitions, well-timed chokes, and a relentless, high-paced approach once on top. Opponents often struggle to deal with his pressure and positional control, as he excels at advancing methodically while keeping constant submission threats alive. While his striking has never been the primary calling card of his game, it has developed into a functional and increasingly effective tool, particularly since spending time training with Muay Thai legend John Wayne Parr at Boonchu. That work has paid dividends in his ability to use clean stand-up to close distance and set up takedowns.

 

Those improvements were on full display in his recent bout against Yamato Fujita. McLaren showcased a patient, defensively-responsible striking approach, moving freely and picking his moments to enter with quick one-two combinations. He mixes in kicks and knees effectively, particularly when pinning Fujita towards the cage, and showed toughness in working through sustained leg-kick damage in the first-round. Once he committed to grappling, the fight shifted decisively. McLaren timed his takedowns cleanly, ducking under strikes to secure double-leg takedowns, before proceeding to dominate from top position (or from the back), where he controlled Fujita for the majority of the final two and a half rounds while threatening submissions and landing damaging ground-and-pound.

 

At 34, McLaren would not traditionally be viewed as a prospect, but his continued technical improvement and wealth of elite experience make him a notable exception. While his style is not always the most fan-friendly and his age places a natural ceiling on long-term upside, he remains more than capable of competing at the very highest level. Given his skill set, durability and pedigree, McLaren is good enough to warrant a place not only on this list, but a place on the UFC roster so he can finish out his career as a difficult, seasoned test for any in the Flyweight division.