Jonathan Haggerty puts MMA plans on hold after losing Muay Thai belt: “I need to manage the route”
British champion striker Jonathan Haggerty is putting his plans of transitioning to MMA on hold after he lost the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title in his last fight. He said he will first set things in order in his own lane before venturing into the multi-faceted sport of mixed martial arts.
'The General' is coming of his 49-second defeat at ONE 168 in Denver, Colorado, U.S.A., on Sept. 6 at the hands of Thai superstar Superlek Kiatmoo9 in their all-champion clash. The defeat saw him give up the bantamweight Muay Thai belt to 'The Kicking Machine,' while also losing his standing as a double world champion.
Haggerty shared on the Sky Sports MMA Club Podcast, which was uploaded on Sept. 27, that his MMA plans will have to wait as he fixes his Muay Thai affairs, saying:
"Now that we've lost the Muay Thai belt, I'm going to be fully ready to go back and get that. I think that MMA is still on the cards, but I just feel like I need to manage the route I want to go down a lot better instead of taking fights here and there. Get myself ready and book it all again."
In wanting to transition to MMA, Jonathan Haggerty wants to expand his horizon as a fighter. Apart from Muay Thai, the Englishman also competes in kickboxing, where he is the ONE bantamweight champion.
The full replay of ONE 168: Denver is available on demand for fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription in North America.
Jonathan Haggerty moving on from tough loss to Superlek
Jonathan Haggerty admits that his 49-second defeat at ONE 168: Denver to Superlek Kiatmoo9 last month left a bad taste in his mouth, but he is ready to move on.
He talked about it in his appearance on the Sky Sports MMA Club Podcast, highlighting that he is now bent on regrouping and coming back better just as he expressed gratitude to those who gave him their support following his defeat.
The Orpington, England native, who is still the bantamweight kickboxing world champion despite losing the Muay Thai gold, said:
"I was disappointed, gutted for the first, I'd say, three days. Keep going over scenarios in my head, "What if I did this, what if I'd done this." But, it is what it is. That's what I tell myself, it is what it is, and you'll be back. I've had a lot of support from this fight, which I'm grateful for."
Before losing to Superlek at ONE 168: Denver, Jonathan Haggerty was on an impressive six-fight winning streak, with the last three all having world title implications.