“He couldn't get near me” - Jonathan Haggerty on his shocking world title victory over legendary Sam-A
Reigning and undisputed ONE bantamweight Muay Thai and kickboxing world champion 'The General' Jonathan Haggerty of the United Kingdom announced his arrival in the world's largest martial arts organization in emphatic fashion.
Haggerty joined ONE Championship in 2019, debuting with a victory over the dangerous Joseph Lasiri. And in his next fight for the promotion, 'The General' was already vying for a ONE world title.
Haggerty took on Thai legend Sam-A Gaiyanghadao for the ONE flyweight Muay Thai world title at ONE: For Honor in May of that year, and shocked the world with a one-sided beatdown of an icon.
'The General' described the victory in a recent YouTube video posted on his official channel.
Haggerty said:
"I've got the best coach in the world. I've got the best team behind me, and they all believed in me. I was very close to knocking him out. We've got two knockdowns. I just remember he didn't have much power. All I remember was his speed. He had a lot of speed. He was quick. There was no power in these shots, but I could see why. He used to catch people a lot."
Haggerty continued:
"In this fight, the game plan was to always move to the left. We knew he had a great left kick, the best left kick in the game. So our game plan was to keep moving, moving away from his left kick, moving to the left, keeping his front leg, getting him off of rhythm. This I know, round one and two. I picked him apart, and he couldn't get near me. I think I was a lot longer than what he was."
Jonathan Haggerty to put bantamweight Muay Thai gold on the line against Superlek at ONE 168: Denver
'The General' Jonathan Haggerty will stake his ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title against flyweight kickboxing king 'The Kicking Machine' Superlek Kiatmoo9.
The two lock horns at ONE 168: Denver, which broadcasts live from the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado on Friday, September 6th.
Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action live and absolutely free with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription. Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding the event as it happens.