Three wins that propelled Hu Yong into the flyweight MMA rankings

China's Hu Yong, right, takes down Korea's Woo Sung-hoon at ONE Fight Night 11 in June 2023. [ONE]

“Wolf Warrior” Hu Yong’s recent run of form has taken his career to the next level.

‘Strong opposition is exactly what I need’: Malykhin excited by Tynan's rise
Best comebacks of 2023: Five fighters who shocked the world when the going got tough

The Chinese knockout artist — who returns against Reece “Lightning” McLaren at ONE Fight Night 22: Sundell vs. Diachkova on Prime Video — has defeated some of the toughest flyweights in the world to bag himself a spot in the division’s top five.

With three straight victories since the start of his latest streak in December 2022, Hu deserves his No. 5 spot in the rankings, but he wants to propel himself further in his next match at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Before he goes up against No. 4-ranked flyweight McLaren on May 3, take a look back at the stunning performances that have pushed “Wolf Warrior” into the division’s upper echelon.

Taking out a former world champion

Coming fresh off a decision loss to Yuya “Little Piranha” Wakamatsu, Hu was determined to get back in the win column at ONE 164.

However, he had a tough test with Filipino standout Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio, a former ONE Flyweight MMA World Champion.

“Wolf Warrior” wasn’t fazed by his rival’s reputation and went after him from the opening bell, coming out with a flying knee before dropping Eustaquio in the opening 30 seconds.

“Gravity” used his experience to survive and threatened with a rear-naked choke, but the Chinese slugger showed his grappling acumen to eventually escape.

Hu continued to pressure Eustaquio and finally found a clean KO with a thudding right hand at 4:43.

By rebounding with a memorable finish against one of the division’s most seasoned veterans, “Wolf Warrior” really put his name on the map.

Winning the battle of rising stars

After taking out a veteran, Hu’s next assignment was a clash of rising stars at ONE Fight Night 11 in June 2023.

The Fighting Bros Club athlete took on “Dynamic” Woo Sung-hoon, who had just stopped the highly ranked Wakamatsu in his previous outing.

Both men entered with a proven resume as big hitters, but it was “Wolf Warrior” whose power told in the fight.

Hu dropped Woo in the opening stanza, but the Korean stayed in the match and showed his mettle by roaring back to life.

The pair battled in every range — displaying much more to their arsenals than just striking — before duking it out standing in the last round.

It was at this point Hu showcased another element to his game with his superior conditioning.

The 28-year-old pushed the pace as his rival faded, leading him to a split-decision win after 15 tough minutes.

Demolition job on Eko Roni Saputra

Hu crowned his impressive run with his quickest finish over Eko Roni Saputra at ONE Fight Night 15 last October.

The Indonesian wrestler had won seven of his last eight outings, with the only loss coming via decision to No. 3-ranked flyweight Danny “The King” Kingad.

However, “Wolf Warrior” only needed 63 seconds to put Saputra away.

Again, he stormed out of the gates, charging at his foe with flying knees and heavy punches, and it didn’t take long for him to find his money shot.

Hu had his rival reeling with a heavy kick and then connected with a looping left hook that sent the Evolve MMA man down.

A couple of hammer fists sealed the deal, extending “Wolf Warrior’s” record to 4-1 on the global stage, which added to his previous 4-0 streak in ONE Hero Series.

Now 12-4 overall with seven KOs, Hu is a formidable name on the flyweight scene, and victory over an elite grappler in McLaren would raise his stock even further.

BY JAY FURNESS [kjdsports@joongang.co.kr]