Jonathan Haggerty learned the hard way about balancing between two disciplines in Superlek loss: “It was hard”
Jonathan Haggerty learned a valuable lesson in his world title clash with Superlek.
'The General' walked into ONE 168: Denver with two belts around his waist—the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world championship and the ONE bantamweight kickboxing crown.
After just 49 seconds, Haggerty left The Mile High City with only one title intact courtesy of a brutal inside elbow from 'The Kicking Machine' that won him both the fight and two sport glory.
Looking back on the loss during an appearance on the Sky Sports MMA Club podcast, Haggerty placed some of the blame on having to train in two different sports, but he chalked the whole thing up to a learning experience.
"It was hard because obviously, I was the two-sport World Champion, so I have to train against a kickboxer and a Muay Thai fighter. It was a lot different. But we’re learning on the journey, and that’s what makes us champions, learning on the journey. I’m always open to learning more."
Jonathan Haggerty felt great going into ONE 168: Denver
Going into the contest, Jonathan Haggerty felt great. Arriving early in the high altitude, 'The General' gave himself plenty of time to acclimate and develop a game plan that he was confident in. Unfortunately, he just didn't have enough time to execute it.
"It was a great experience. We felt great, running up the mountains. I think we got down a month before anyone else, so we were well prepared. There was no stone left unturned, I still say it to this day, even though the performance wasn’t there. But yeah, fight week was brilliant."
He added:
"We had all the family out there, and a lot of about 20-30 people came out to support me, so I'm very thankful for that as well."
What's next for Haggerty remains to be seen, but with the ONE bantamweight kickboxing world championship still around his waist, the UK star still has a pretty big target on his back and a laundry list of contenders lining up for a shot.
If you missed any of the action, ONE Championship fans in the United States and Canada can watch the ONE 168: Denver replay on demand via Amazon Prime Video.