“I think he underestimated me” - Jonathan Haggerty says Nong-O camp underestimated him in 2023 world title clash
Reigning and undisputed ONE bantamweight Muay Thai and kickboxing world champion 'The General' Jonathan Haggerty of the United Kingdom has quickly risen to be the most dominant striker in ONE Championship's deep bantamweight roster.
But it was his 2023 victory over Thai icon and former longtime titleholder Nong-O Hama that truly stood out as his best performance.
Heading into that showdown at ONE Fight Night 9, however, many doubted Haggerty's chances against the legendary Thai fighter. Many wrote 'The General' off before he even had the chance to step inside the ring.
Among those who underestimated the Englishman was Nong-O himself, who had proven to be virtually unbeatable up until that point.
This doubt eventually fueled Haggerty to victory and would set off an amazing run through the ranks that now see him sitting at the top of the mountain.
In a recent video uploaded to his official YouTube channel called 'Retrospect', Haggerty looked back on his win over Nong-O and had this to say:
"I remember I trained in Thailand for this fight. I trained in the UK for three weeks, then I moved to Thailand for six weeks to train for this fight. I think he underestimated me if I'm totally honest."
Haggerty ended up needing only one round to dispatch his foe and claim the gold. Now, he's a two-sport ONE world champion, ready to defend one of his belts again.
Jonathan Haggerty puts bantamweight Muay Thai gold on the line against Superlek Kiatmoo9 at ONE 168: Denver
Two-sport king 'The General' Jonathan Haggerty is set to lock horns with flyweight kickboxing titleholder 'The Kicking Machine' Superlek Kiatmoo9 of Thailand.
The two do battle 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.