Liam Harrison breaks down what Jonathan Haggerty needs to do to reach the "next level" of superstardom
Liam Harrison believes Jonathan Haggerty must go through a gauntlet of dangerous fighters to reach the next level of superstardom.
There aren't many who predicted what Haggerty would do once he left the ONE flyweight Muay Thai division. In his last three fights, 'The General' has knocked out Nong-O for bantamweight Muay Thai gold, claimed two-sport supremacy by taking out Fabricio Andrade for a vacant kickboxing throne, and defended his throne in 'The Art of Eight Limbs' against Felipe Lobo.
Haggerty has undoubtedly solidified himself as a superstar under the ONE banner. The question is, how does he continue to grow his star power? During an interview with Sky Sports, Muay Thai great Liam Harrison had this to say about what the UK superstar must do next:
"Haggerty needs to beat someone in their prime now, like Nico [Carrillo], like a Superlek, like a Rodtang, for him to go to that next level."
On Sept. 6, Haggerty will have an opportunity to accomplish one of the tasks listed by Harrison. At ONE 168 in Denver, Colorado, 'The General' looks to defend his bantamweight Muay Thai world title in a must-see co-main event matchup against flyweight kickboxing world champion Superlek.
When is Liam Harrison fighting next in ONE Championship?
Liam Harrison last fought in August 2022 when he failed to dethrone Nong-O in a ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title fight. During the one-round battle, Harrison suffered a significant knee injury, leading to an extended layoff.
On June 7, 'Hitman' will make his highly-anticipated return at ONE 167, which goes down inside the Impact Arena in Thailand. Standing in Harrison's way of a comeback win is Katsuki Kitano, who plans to capitalize on the added platform from the UK superstar's fanbase.
Kitano made his ONE Championship debut in October 2023, defeating Hail Kutukcu by unanimous decision at ONE Friday Fights 38. The Japanese fighter's next bout at ONE 167 will air live on US primetime free of charge for existing Prime Video subscribers in North America.