“His stand-up’s quite good” - Jonathan Haggerty intrigued by hypothetical striking match with Sean O’Malley
Jonathan Haggerty voiced his respect for former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley's striking.
Over the past five years, Haggerty has become a superstar in ONE Championship and separated himself as one of the best strikers on the planet. The reigning ONE bantamweight kickboxing champion recently was asked about several hypothetical matchups against fighters from other promotions.
During an appearance on the 'Winners Talking Podcast,' Haggerty had this to say about Sean O'Malley, an MMA fighter in the UFC bantamweight division:
"Sugar “Sean” O’Malley. The guy with the funny hair, the colorful hair. I think his stand-up’s quite good as well, to be fair. He’s got great standup. He’s got standup on par with McGregor’s."
On Sept. 6, Haggerty's run as a two-sport world champion ended. The UK superstar suffered a 49-second knockout against Superlek, leading to a title-change in the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai division.
ONE Championship announced Haggerty's next fight will take place in the ONE 171: Qatar main event on Feb. 20, 2025. 'The General' is scheduled to defend his bantamweight kickboxing world title against Wei Rui.
ONE 171 goes down inside the Lusail Sports Arena in Lusail. Before Haggerty vs. Wei, the co-headliner features a strawweight MMA world-title trilogy bout between reigning champion Joshua Pacio and interim title holder Jarred Brooks.
Jonathan Haggerty is confident he would defeat Conor McGregor in striking battle
Jonathan Haggerty used to fight in the ONE flyweight Muay Thai division, where he's a former world champion, before moving up to bantamweight. Haggerty has since shown that the decreased weight cut has been beneficial.
During the previously mentioned podcast episode, Haggerty talked about a potential fight against UFC legend Conor McGregor, who used to fight at featherweight before moving to lightweight/welterweight. Haggerty had this to say about a potential matchup against McGregor:
"Yeah, prime Conor or old Conor. I reckon stand up, he's out. Stand up, all day long, it's me."
At 27 years old, Haggerty has time to continue building his legacy. The UK superstar plans to defend his bantamweight kickboxing crown next before attempting to regain two-sport supremacy.
Watch Haggerty's entire appearance on the 'Winners Talking Podcast' below: