ONE Championship: Jonathan Haggerty warns Fabricio Andrade ‘if you want it, you can have it’ after ‘easy’ Nong-O KO
- Haggerty wins ONE bantamweight Muay Thai title with stunning first-round knockout of legendary champion Nong-O on Saturday in Bangkok
- Briton now welcomes challenges from Muay Thai contenders Felipe Lobo and Liam Harrison, or bantamweight MMA champion Andrade
Jonathan Haggerty barely broke a sweat in his ONE Championship title fight with Nong-O Hama.
The 26-year-old Briton challenged the Thai legend for the promotion’s coveted bantamweight Muay Thai belt in the headlining attraction of Saturday’s ONE Fight Night 9 event at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok.
The champion had already defended his belt seven times heading into the fight, and was considered a big favourite in the match-up, but Haggerty did not get the memo, scoring two knock-downs before ending it for good with a blistering punching combination.
He needed less than three minutes to make it happen.
“I’m excited and I’m over the moon,” he told the Post after his title-winning KO over Nong-O, who is considered one of the greatest fighters in Muay Thai history. “To beat Nong-O – I feel like he was the boy, he ruled Muay Thai – to do what I did, to not only beat him but knock him out, I guess I’m the boy now.
“I want to say it wasn’t easy but it was. I’m sure he had a lot left in the tank if he was able to stay on his feet.”
Haggerty, who formerly held ONE’s flyweight Muay Thai title, moved up to bantamweight late last year, earning a title shot with a decision win over Russia’s Vladimir Kuzmin.
As a new face in the jam-packed weight class, he has plenty of options in terms of his first challenger.
Perhaps the most obvious option is another fight with Nong-O who, despite his lopsided loss, could be afforded an immediate rematch on the basis of his previous dominance.
“I wish him a speedy recovery,” Haggerty said of the vanquished champion. “What a great legend.
“If we wants to go again, let’s go.”
ONE Fight Night 9 results: Haggerty KOs Nong-O to win title
Another possibility for Haggerty’s first defence is Brazil’s Felipe Lobo, who burst into title contention with a late knockout of No 1 bantamweight Muay Thai contender Saemapetch Fairtex earlier on the ONE Fight Night 9 broadcast.
It was an impressive performance from the Brazilian, but the new champion is undaunted by the potential match-up.
“I see no danger at all,” he said. “I see no problems fighting him.”
Lobo is a training partner of ONE bantamweight MMA champion Fabricio Andrade, who was in Bangkok to corner his fellow Brazilian against Saemapetch.
After Haggerty won the title, Andrade expressed interest in returning to Muay Thai – his first combat sport – to challenge the new champ.
Haggerty took issue with the delivery of the Brazilian’s call-out, but claims to be open to the match-up.
“You see me in the back room and didn’t say nothing and now you want to say it on social media?” he said, addressing Andrade. “If you want it, you can have it.”
Haggerty’s title win also supercharged chatter about a potential clash with fellow Briton Liam Harrison, the division’s No 4 contender and a legend of the UK fight scene.
Harrison was quick to express interest in the fight after ONE Fight Night 9 – and the feeling is clearly mutual, as Haggerty shared his hopes of bringing the fight to London’s Wembley Stadium or O2 Arena.
“One hundred per cent,” the champion said when asked about defending his belt against Harrison. “O2, Wembley, wherever.
“I’ve got the utmost respect for him and what he’s done for the sport. Once we get in that ring, respect goes out the window, and I will punch holes in you.”
Suffice it to say that Haggerty is willing to fight whomever ONE deems worthy.
“I never turn down a fight,” he said.
Whomever provides his first challenge, he is confident he will defend his belt, having found new life in the bantamweight division.
“I feel at home, I feel stronger,” he said of his move up a weight class. “I’m not dehydrated, I’m not weak, I’m not fatigued. I feel good, so you get the best Jonathan Haggerty.”
