Jonathan Haggerty rues the one mistake he made against Superlek at ONE 168: “We paid for it”
Jonathan Haggerty felt great going into his massive title clash with Superlek Kiatmoo9. Unfortunately, an early mistake cost him big.
Emanating from Ball Arena in The Mile High City, ONE 168: Denver delivered an electrifying night of fights punctuated by an epic world title tilt between Haggerty and Superlek—and while the bout may have ended early, it delivered on its promise of fireworks.
Less than 60 seconds into the scrap, 'The Kicking Machine' blasted Haggerty with a slick inside elbow as 'The General' was moving in. The blow sent the Brit crashing to the canvas and unable to continue, ending things at the 49-second mark and crowning Superlek the new ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion.
Looking back on the loss during an interview on the Sky Sports MMA Club podcast, Haggerty thinks he did everything right leading up to the fight, but one mistake cost him everything.
"Yeah, 100 percent," he said. "I’ll stick by it. Fight camp was brilliant — best fight camp I’ve ever had. I was in a great space, mentally, physically. I just think, on the night, there was just one mistake and we paid for it."
Jonathan Haggerty vows to come back even stronger following loss to Superlek
While Haggerty was left understandably dejected following the loss to Superlek, 'The General' is confident that he'll bounce back and be even better when he makes his return.
"Tough day at the office, but I dared to be great," Haggerty told ONE. "I'll be back, I've been in this position before, and I'll definitely be back stronger than ever."
Though he's been relieved of his duties as the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion, Haggerty is still the reigning ONE bantamweight kickboxing king and there are plenty of contenders lining up for an opportunity to challenge him in eight-ounce gloves.
What do you think should be next for 'The General' following his loss in The Centennial State?
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.