Iniong loses to Nunes in China, McLaren wins by split decision

MANILA - Female atomweight Gina Iniong of Team Lakay suffered a unanimous-decision defeat at the hands of former Muay Thai world champion Istela Nunes on the undercard of "ONE: Battle for the Heavens" Saturday night at the Tianhe Gymnasium in Guangzhou, China.

Iniong, who was regarded as one of the top fighters in her division, managed to drop Nunes in the opening round with a counter right hand.

The Filipina, however, struggled all night from Nunes' relentless pressure and height and reach advantage.

Nunes ultimately landed the cleaner shots on Iniong, earning her a unanimous decision nod after three five-minute rounds.

In the co-main event, Filipino-Australian contender Reece McLaren made his case for a shot at Geje Eustaquio's ONE flyweight title following a points victory over Japanese veteran Tatsumitsu Wada.

McLaren, 26, combined his grappling and strikes to overcome a tough opponent in Wada.

The Japanese fighter scored a takedown here and there, but it was McLaren who went for submission attempts and landed the cleaner shots, bagging him a split decision nod after three rounds. — DVM, GMA News