“Flyweight wasn’t my best” - Jonathan Haggerty says move to bantamweight unleashed his full potential as a fighter
He may have won a world title at flyweight, but Jonathan Haggerty believes he wasn't at his best when he competed at 135 pounds.
The two-sport king revealed in an interview with InsideFighting that moving up 10 pounds to bantamweight was one of the best decisions he made in his career, and it was a move that paid instant dividends.
Haggerty now reigns as the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai and kickboxing world champion and, by eye test alone, looks healthier and stronger than when he was at flyweight.
He said:
"Like I said, I knew flyweight wasn't my best. So I was very confident going into the bantamweight division - that I'll be a full, hungry, and game version of myself."
See the interview below:
Jonathan Haggerty debuted in ONE Championship in January 2019 and faced off against future ONE strawweight Muay Thai world champion Joseph Lasiri in Jakarta.
After taking a unanimous decision win in his debut, Haggerty captured the ONE flyweight Muay Thai world title when he scored a stunning upset over Thai legend Sam-A Gaiyanghadao in May 2019.
Haggerty, however, relinquished the gold to current holder Rodtang Jitmuangnon in August of that year.
Despite beating Taiki Naito and Mongkolpetch Petchyindee at 135 pounds, Haggerty struggled to make the division's limit and decided to move to bantamweight in November 2022 when he faced Vladimir Kuzmin.
He's since embarked on an epic three-fight knockout streak to capture two of bantamweight's world titles.
Haggerty secured the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title when he knocked out the legendary Nong-O Hama in April 2023. In that same year, Jonathan Haggerty became a double-champ when he stopped ONE bantamweight MMA world champion Fabricio Andrade for the vacant bantamweight kickboxing throne.
Jonathan Haggerty checks off all the boxes in preparation for Superlek at ONE 168: Denver
Jonathan Haggerty made sure he was more than well-equipped ahead of his super fight against ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion Superlek Kiatmoo9 at ONE 168: Denver.
The two-sport king will defend his ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title against Superlek in the card's main event on September 6 at Ball Arena.
Haggerty knew that fighting in Denver would be an issue due to the city's 1,609-meter altitude, and that was a huge reason why he decided to fly to Colorado more than a week before the fight:
"We're so high up, and I'm trying to catch a breath after a hectic round on the pads. It's pretty hard. The first day we got here, it was hard. But we've done so well to acclimatize so early. We're up in the mountains now running and doing our fitness," Haggerty said in an interview with ONE Championship.