Jonathan Haggerty believes he should have won close first fight with Rodtang: "I couldn't keep him away"
Jonathan Haggerty will leave behind a stunning legacy when he does eventually walk away from ONE Championship and hang up the gloves.
In a relatively short time in the promotion, he has accomplished so much as is evident with his current bantamweight run.
Before he made the move up a weight class where he achieved great things, 'The General' held the Muay Thai world championship at flyweight.
After defeating a legend in Sam-A Gaiyanghadao during his second appearance under the ONE banner, no one could have predicted what would follow.
Haggerty's career will always be tied to his pair of back-to-back classic encounters with Rodtang Jitmuangnon.
The Brit spoke about their first meeting during a recent YouTube video where he reflected on a key moment in the fight and how he believes he should have got his hand raised:
"Yeah, he was forward, forward, forward. I think this is the round where he caught me when I was going back with a right hand that put me to the floor. I think that's what won him this fight. If he didn't get that knockdown, I think I would have gotten the nod.
"I remember that moment there when I'm sitting down and looking up at the stadium, and I could just see, Rodtang versus Haggerty, Haggerty versus Rodtang going around in a Circle. I just thought to myself, 'yeah, I need to get up.' And I just couldn't keep him away. I still think to this day that I still won on points, but it is what it is."
Watch the full video below:
Jonathan Haggerty is a product of moments like this
The moment that Jonathan Haggerty speaks about in his first fight with Rodtang is exactly why he is still at the top today.
These two fights will have taught him so much about his skills but also who he is as a fighter.
When the going got tough, he persevered and this same warrior spirit was on display in the rematch even if he didn't make it to the final bell.
His heart and mentality is sure to be crucial to the next defense of his bantamweight Muay Thai world champion as he takes on Superlek at ONE 168 on September 6.
Tickets for ONE 168: Denver are available via Ticketmaster.