"Fought like real warriors" - Fans show their love for Jonathan Haggerty and Taiki Naito's non-stop exchanges in Singapore
Reigning ONE bantamweight Muay Thai and kickboxing world champion Jonathan Haggerty starred in an action-packed Muay Thai war with Taiki Naito in December 2020 at ONE: Big Bang II.
Featuring world-class striking exchanges and crunching hits, 'The General' and 'Silent Sniper' put on one of the best fights in a year that sorely needed some positive moments.
Watch the highlights of their three-round war below, as shared by ONE on Instagram:
Fans shared their appreciation for Haggerty and Naito's excellent back-and-forth battle in the comments section, with statements like:
"Both fought like real warriors 🔥👏"
"Daaamn, that was insane, no mercy 🗡️💀💥"
"Hell of a brawl 🔥👏🙌"
"You have any idea how much shin-on-shin contact hurts?"
"Haggerty is a monster."
Overcoming the tough-nosed Naito kickstarted a six-fight winning streak for Haggerty. This run includes dethroning then-ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion Nong-O Hama via knockout and claiming the vacant ONE bantamweight kickboxing crown over bantamweight MMA king Fabricio Andrade.
For his next assignment, Haggerty will defend the 145-pound Muay Thai crown at ONE 168: Denver on September 6 inside the Ball Arena against the near-unstoppable ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion Superlek Kiatmoo9.
Superlek throws shade at Jonathan Haggerty ahead of ONE 168 megafight
Superlek made a bold claim about Jonathan Haggerty's status among the great fighters of today ahead of their ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world championship clash at ONE 168: Denver on September 6 inside the Ball Arena.
'The Kicking Machine' said in an interview with ONE Championship:
"Is Haggerty a tough fight? I don't think so. There are so many fighters who are better than him. So many, so many. And I believe I'm better than Haggerty."
Watch ONE 168: Denver live inside the Ball Arena on September 6. Tickets are available via Ticketmaster.