Jonathan Haggerty says Mongkolpetch smack talk ‘fueled’ him to victory: “He was talking a lot of sh*t”
Jonathan Haggerty's 2022 victory over Thai superstar Mongkolpetch was fueled by his opponent's incessant trash-talking.
By the time Haggerty stepped into the Circle with Mongkokpetch at ONE: Bad Blood, he had already bounced back from a couple of back-to-back losses against ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion Rodtang, besting Japanese standout Taiki Naito via unanimous decision.
Still, that didn't stop the Thai from talking smack to 'The General' every chance he got ahead of their highly anticipated clash.
Looking back on the bout during a career retrospective on his YouTube channel, Haggerty noted that all the talk coming from Mongkolpetch only served as fuel, powering him to a second-straight victory on martial arts' biggest global stage.
"He was talking a lot of sh*t, because he saw me get knocked down with Rodtang from body shots, he said he was gonna come and body shot me. But I was not about to take his power. So it fueled me for this fight, and I was excited to get in there with him and just shut him up really."
Haggerty went on to win the bout via decision in what would be his final appearance at flyweight.
Two-sport king Jonathan Haggerty returns at ONE 168: Denver for a title clash with Superlek
Eight months after his fight with Mongkolpetch, Jonathan Haggerty would make his bantamweight Muay Thai debut against Russian standout Vladimir Kuzmin.
Coming out on top in the contest, 'The General' earned himself a shot at the division's top prize, then held by Thai icon Nong-O Hama.
It took Jonathan Haggerty less than one round to take the title for himself, scoring an earth-shattering KO against Nong-O at ONE Fight Night 9. Seven months later, he'd go on to add the ONE bantamweight kickboxing crown to his collection, finishing Fabricio Andrade in the second round of their November 2023 showdown.
Next, Haggerty will return to the Circle on Friday, Sept. 6 to put his bantamweight Muay Thai belt on the line against perhaps the best strikers today — Superlek Kiatmoo9.
Haggerty and Superlek will scrap at ONE 168: Denver when ONE championship heads back to the United States for a loaded night of fights in The Centennial State.
Follow this link for tickets for ONE 168: Denver on Sept. 6 at Ball Arena.