"I hope he wins" - Jonathan Haggerty backing Superlek in potential first title defense against Nico Carrillo
ONE bantamweight kickboxing world champion Jonathan Haggerty believes Nico Carrillo rightfully deserves to be Superlek Kiatmoo9's first challenger for the bantamweight Muay Thai crown.
'The General' surrendered the 145-pound Muay Thai belt to 'The Kicking Machine' in the main event of ONE 168: Denver last month inside the Ball Arena.
It is worth noting that Haggerty has also exchanged some unpleasantries with 'King of the North' in the past, with both warriors expressing their desire to fight the other.
Given his history with both elite-class fighters, Haggerty weighed in on this inevitable super fight in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA:
"Yeah, I think so. I think he has well deserved it. Obviously, Superlek is the champ so he’s got no choice but to fight the number one. So he deserves it, wish him the best, and I hope he wins so we can get it on."
By the looks of it, Jonathan Haggerty accepted that an immediate rematch against Superlek might be off the cards, especially how quickly their match-up ended.
That said, it's not surprising he's backing the Thai megastar on this one since he's still looking to avenge those two losses somewhere down the line.
Haggerty will shift his focus on defending his remaining bantamweight kickboxing crown. Once that job is done, he'll likely want a piece of Superlek or Carrillo.
Chatri Sityodtong agrees that Nico Carrillo is next in line for Superlek
Even Chatri Sityodtong believes that Nico Carrillo is the most deserving contender in the stacked bantamweight Muay Thai ranks.
The Scottish knockout artist, after all, remains perfect in four matches in one and has finished everyone in his wake so far.
The promotion's Chairman and CEO said in a recent ONE interview:
"I do think Nico [Carrillo] is next for Superlek. That's the fight that I'd like to see most. Of course, there are a lot of other fights. I'd like to see Superlek versus Rodtang II, but I think the next fight is Nico. He has been waiting long enough. Nico has earned it, and I think the world wants to see them."