"Am I supposed to be here?" - Jonathan Haggerty recalls dealing with self-doubt in title match vs iconic Sam-A
There was a time when Jonathan Haggerty thought that he was way out of his depth in fighting Thai icon Sam-A Gaiyanghadao for the world title.
The bantamweight Muay Thai king recalled his five-round brawl with Sam-A with great admiration, calling it the fight that "changed my life."
At just 22 years old, the young Haggerty wrestled with the idea of sharing the ring with one of the most decorated Muay Thai champions in the world so early in his career.
This week, as Haggerty rewatched highlights of his momentous victory against Sam-A on Retrospect, the UK superstar recalled dealing with thoughts of self-doubt by saying:
"I was going up against someone that I've watched at a young age. The legend hasn't been beaten in ONE, it's the champion. I sort of thought to myself, 'am I supposed to be here at this time in my career? Should I be fighting this sort of caliber?'"
Watch the full video below:
Now as an unprecedented two-sport world champion, Jonathan Haggerty is no longer plagued with self-doubt. Since he moved to a heavier weight class, 'The General' is unbeatable.
On September 6 at ONE 168, Haggerty will follow up his extremely successful career with another hotly-anticipated world title rematch against ONE flyweight kickboxing kingpin Superlek Kiatmoo9.
Tickets for ONE 168: Denver are available via Ticketmaster.
Triple-world champion Anatoly Malykhin is split between Jonathan Haggerty and Superlek for the winner of their Muay Thai superfight
Triple-world champion Anatoly Malykhin has a difficult time indicating a clear winner between Jonathan Haggerty and Superlek Kiatmoo9.
The Russian superstar isn't usually stumped by a matchup, but considering where Haggerty and Superlek both began their journeys, Malykhin is the first to admit that this fight won't be an easy one to win for both parties involved.
The two champions have risked it all inside the ring to get to where they want to be in their careers. So there's only one thing that could determine the outcome of their super fight - and it's neither skill nor talent.
Speaking to ONE, Malykhin predicted:
"Haggerty is on a roll right now, but Superlek has also been performing beautifully. I think the winner will be the one who is mentally better prepared, because both of them have proven their skills in the ring."