“I’m picking the pieces up” - Jonathan Haggerty has come to terms with shocking KO loss to Superlek at ONE 168
Jonathan Haggerty claimed he's "picking the pieces up" following ONE 168.
Heading into ONE 168, Haggerty was coming off wins against Nong-O (Muay Thai), Fabricio Andrade (kickboxing), and Felipe Lobo (Muay Thai). 'The General' looked to continue building momentum and defend his ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title. Unfortunately for him, Superlek had other plans for the main event.
'The Kicking Machine' managed to land a picture-perfect knee, knocking out Haggerty at the 49-second mark. Haggerty has since taken some time to recover before stepping back into the spotlight with interviews.
Haggerty recently made an appearance on the Sky Sports MMA Club Podcast. When asked about his loss, 'The General' responded by saying:
"I’m back together, I’m picking the pieces up, and back to the drawing board."
There's no shame in Jonathan Haggerty losing against Superlek. The now-two-sport world champion holds promotional records of 11-0 in Muay Thai and 4-1 in kickboxing. Superlek's resume also features wins against Rodtang (Muay Thai), Takeru Segawa (kickboxing), and Panpayak (Muay Thai) x2.
At 27 years old, Haggetry has plenty of time to bounce back and regain the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title. Before returning to "The Art of Eight Limbs," the UK superstar might focus on defending his kickboxing world title.
Haggerty's main event matchup with Superlek can be rewatched by North American and Canadian viewers with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.
What's next for Jonathan Haggerty in ONE Championship?
In November 2023, Jonathan Haggerty fought ONE bantamweight MMA world champion Fabricio Andrade for the vacant bantamweight kickboxing strap. Haggerty showcased his world-class striking skills in the ONE Fight Night 16 main event matchup by securing a second-round knockout.
Haggerty recently talked about wanting to defend his kickboxing world title following ONE 168: Denver. There are two potential challenges for the strap - Wei Rui and former 3x ONE flyweight kickboxing king Ilias Ennahachi.
On May 3, Wei Rui made his ONE Championship debut, defeating former bantamweight world champion Hiroki Akimoto by unanimous decision. Nearly five months later, Ilia Ennahachi accomplished the same result against Akimoto.
Therefore, ONE will likely choose between Rui or Ennahachi, with a number one contender bout not out of the question. It should be noted that ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong thought Akimoto defeated Rui in their fight.