Jonathan Haggerty has already reached the head of two fight sports activities, however nonetheless has his eyes on glory in a 3rd: MMA.
The 27-year-old Brit at present holds ONE Championship’s bantamweight Muay Thai and kickboxing titles. He gained the primary belt with a surprising knockout of Muay Thai legend Nong-O Gaiyanghadao in 2023, and in his subsequent struggle, captured the promotion’s vacant kickboxing belt with a knockout of Brazilian MMA champion Fabricio Andrade.
He has lengthy expressed curiosity in rematching Andrade for the bantamweight MMA title, and that ambition is undiminished.
“[After I won the kickboxing title], I needed to struggle Fabricio for his MMA belt as quickly as doable,” Haggerty instructed The Sporting Information on August 14. “[Eventually] I simply thought, I must take a step again now. I don’t suppose he was up for giving me the chance.
“It’s what it’s. If ONE Championship thinks it’s proper or it’s flawed, it’s as much as them to offer me the struggle.
“But when I had to decide on, it will be Fabricio for my MMA debut.”
It stays to be seen if Haggerty will ever make the transfer to MMA. The excellent news is that the Brit nonetheless has loads of thrilling choices in each Muay Thai and kickboxing competitors.
His subsequent struggle isn’t any exception.
Haggerty is scheduled to headline ONE 168, slated for Sept. 6 in Denver, Colorado — the Singapore-based fight sports activities promotion’s second occasion on US soil. He will likely be defending his bantamweight Muay Thai title reverse Thai juggernaut Superlek.
“It’s my first time [competing in the US],” Haggerty mentioned. “I am very excited.
“I’m grateful that ONE Championship has given me the chance to struggle in the primary occasion and defend my title in opposition to such a fantastic opponent in Superlek. I gained’t disappoint. It’s going to be explosive.”
It will likely be the second time Haggerty has fought Superlek. They first met in 2018, at a Yokkao occasion within the UK.
Superlek gained that struggle by determination, however Haggerty is adamant rather a lot has modified within the years since.
“After we final fought, I used to be a boy,” the Brit mentioned. “I’m a person now. I’m tailored. I do know myself as a fighter. I do know what works for me and what doesn’t. I’m a very totally different fighter. I really feel like he’s stayed the identical actually — with only a conventional Muay Thai form of fashion.”
Superlek could not have developed as a lot as Haggerty in recent times, however there is no such thing as a query the Thai is among the finest strikers on the planet. He has lengthy been thought-about a high Muay Thai fighter, and is now ONE’s reigning flyweight kickboxing champion, and one of many high pound-for-pound fighters in that sport, in keeping with the specialists at BeyondKick.com.
Haggerty is just not underestimating the problem that awaits him within the shadow of the Southern Rockies this September, however claims to have noticed some vulnerabilities in his opponent’s sport — most notably within the Thai’s January determination win over Japanese kickboxing star Takeru Segawa.
“We’ve seen patterns in his sport and we’re excited to use them,” he mentioned of Superlek. “We noticed a variety of holes within the Takeru struggle, together with the physique photographs. We’ve seen him get harm with the physique photographs, and that was with boxing gloves at flyweight. We’ve taken rather a lot from that.”
If Haggerty is ready to defeat Superlek in Denver, it should cement him as one of many biggest strikers competing immediately, and set him up for extra enormous alternatives in ONE Championship. That will imply he lastly migrates to MMA. It might additionally imply he strikes as much as featherweight to problem champion Tawanchai for one more Muay Thai belt, or that he partakes in a trilogy struggle together with his long-time rival Rodtang. A win over Superlek might even assist Haggerty carry ONE to the UK, the place a struggle with rising Scottish star Nico Carillo would possibly await.
The 2-sport champ is open to all prospects.
“We’re not wanting previous Superlek, however I do have just a few folks I wish to struggle and knock out, together with Nico Carillo,” he mentioned. “I additionally wish to defend my kickboxing belt, as a result of the final struggle was for my Thai boxing belt, so I wish to defend my kickboxing belt as quickly as doable.”
Haggerty’s first precedence, after all, is thrilling American followers with an “explosive” stoppage of a Muay Thai icon.
The Brit is already in Denver and, having gotten nicely accustomed to The Mile-Excessive Metropolis’s lung-busting altitude, is “actually simply ready for Superlek to show up.”
“We all know what we’re up in opposition to,” he mentioned. “We’re excited for this one. I feel everyone’s been ready for this struggle, and it’s lastly right here. We’re each in our primes, at our peaks, and we’re each in the perfect group on this planet.
“[When it’s over], I need the US followers to be saying ‘we would like him again, we would like Haggerty again.’ That’s what I’m coming to do. I’m coming to placed on a present for the followers and present I’m the perfect striker on this planet.”
Jonathan Haggerty has already reached the head of two fight sports activities, however nonetheless has his eyes on glory in a 3rd: MMA.
The 27-year-old Brit at present holds ONE Championship’s bantamweight Muay Thai and kickboxing titles. He gained the primary belt with a surprising knockout of Muay Thai legend Nong-O Gaiyanghadao in 2023, and in his subsequent struggle, captured the promotion’s vacant kickboxing belt with a knockout of Brazilian MMA champion Fabricio Andrade.
He has lengthy expressed curiosity in rematching Andrade for the bantamweight MMA title, and that ambition is undiminished.
“[After I won the kickboxing title], I needed to struggle Fabricio for his MMA belt as quickly as doable,” Haggerty instructed The Sporting Information on August 14. “[Eventually] I simply thought, I must take a step again now. I don’t suppose he was up for giving me the chance.
“It’s what it’s. If ONE Championship thinks it’s proper or it’s flawed, it’s as much as them to offer me the struggle.
“But when I had to decide on, it will be Fabricio for my MMA debut.”
It stays to be seen if Haggerty will ever make the transfer to MMA. The excellent news is that the Brit nonetheless has loads of thrilling choices in each Muay Thai and kickboxing competitors.
His subsequent struggle isn’t any exception.
Haggerty is scheduled to headline ONE 168, slated for Sept. 6 in Denver, Colorado — the Singapore-based fight sports activities promotion’s second occasion on US soil. He will likely be defending his bantamweight Muay Thai title reverse Thai juggernaut Superlek.
“It’s my first time [competing in the US],” Haggerty mentioned. “I am very excited.
“I’m grateful that ONE Championship has given me the chance to struggle in the primary occasion and defend my title in opposition to such a fantastic opponent in Superlek. I gained’t disappoint. It’s going to be explosive.”
It will likely be the second time Haggerty has fought Superlek. They first met in 2018, at a Yokkao occasion within the UK.
Superlek gained that struggle by determination, however Haggerty is adamant rather a lot has modified within the years since.
“After we final fought, I used to be a boy,” the Brit mentioned. “I’m a person now. I’m tailored. I do know myself as a fighter. I do know what works for me and what doesn’t. I’m a very totally different fighter. I really feel like he’s stayed the identical actually — with only a conventional Muay Thai form of fashion.”
Superlek could not have developed as a lot as Haggerty in recent times, however there is no such thing as a query the Thai is among the finest strikers on the planet. He has lengthy been thought-about a high Muay Thai fighter, and is now ONE’s reigning flyweight kickboxing champion, and one of many high pound-for-pound fighters in that sport, in keeping with the specialists at BeyondKick.com.
Haggerty is just not underestimating the problem that awaits him within the shadow of the Southern Rockies this September, however claims to have noticed some vulnerabilities in his opponent’s sport — most notably within the Thai’s January determination win over Japanese kickboxing star Takeru Segawa.
“We’ve seen patterns in his sport and we’re excited to use them,” he mentioned of Superlek. “We noticed a variety of holes within the Takeru struggle, together with the physique photographs. We’ve seen him get harm with the physique photographs, and that was with boxing gloves at flyweight. We’ve taken rather a lot from that.”
If Haggerty is ready to defeat Superlek in Denver, it should cement him as one of many biggest strikers competing immediately, and set him up for extra enormous alternatives in ONE Championship. That will imply he lastly migrates to MMA. It might additionally imply he strikes as much as featherweight to problem champion Tawanchai for one more Muay Thai belt, or that he partakes in a trilogy struggle together with his long-time rival Rodtang. A win over Superlek might even assist Haggerty carry ONE to the UK, the place a struggle with rising Scottish star Nico Carillo would possibly await.
The 2-sport champ is open to all prospects.
“We’re not wanting previous Superlek, however I do have just a few folks I wish to struggle and knock out, together with Nico Carillo,” he mentioned. “I additionally wish to defend my kickboxing belt, as a result of the final struggle was for my Thai boxing belt, so I wish to defend my kickboxing belt as quickly as doable.”
Haggerty’s first precedence, after all, is thrilling American followers with an “explosive” stoppage of a Muay Thai icon.
The Brit is already in Denver and, having gotten nicely accustomed to The Mile-Excessive Metropolis’s lung-busting altitude, is “actually simply ready for Superlek to show up.”
“We all know what we’re up in opposition to,” he mentioned. “We’re excited for this one. I feel everyone’s been ready for this struggle, and it’s lastly right here. We’re each in our primes, at our peaks, and we’re each in the perfect group on this planet.
“[When it’s over], I need the US followers to be saying ‘we would like him again, we would like Haggerty again.’ That’s what I’m coming to do. I’m coming to placed on a present for the followers and present I’m the perfect striker on this planet.”
