“One of the best I’ve been in there with” - Jonathan Haggerty praises Wei Rui for bringing out the best in him
ONE bantamweight kickboxing world champion Jonathan Haggerty successfully defended his belt in Qatar. However, he had himself a battle against challenger Wei Rui, who, in turn, earned a lot of praise from him afterward.
'The General' picked up a unanimous decision winner over Wei in their co-headlining match at ONE 171: Qatar on Feb. 20 at the Lusail Sports Arena in Lusail. He admitted to trying to go for a knockout finish but the Chinese challenger just would not go without a fight.
During the post-fight interview with ONE commentator Mitch Chilson inside the Circle following his victory, Haggerty made sure to give his opponent props for the tough stand he put up, saying:
"You know, what was the hardest thing, a lot of people were writing off Wei Rui. What a great opponent, you know. One of the best I’ve been in there with. It was a pleasure to share the cage with him. What a pleasure. And also thank you to Chatri, and the whole of ONE Championship."
At ONE 171, Jonathan Haggerty banked on his crisp striking combinations and push kicks to keep Wei's game under control. But the challenger was still undeterred and kept pushing. Eventually, he slowed down in the end, allowing the reigning champion to maintain control on his way to victory.
The win was the first successful defense of the British champion of his kickboxing gold after claiming the then-vacant title in November 2023.
The full replay of ONE 171: Qatar is available via watch.onefc.com.
Wei Rui's performance at ONE 171 was something Jonathan Haggerty already expected
The competitive stand that Wei Rui put up at ONE 171: Qatar did not surprise Jonathan Haggerty. He admitted that he was already aware of what the Chinese challenger was capable of heading into their showdown.
He shared his thoughts on Wei in the lead-up to their title clash in an interview with the Inside Fighting podcast, saying:
"He's obviously a great, worthy opponent. He's the number one in the division for a reason. He beat [former world champion Hiroki] Akimoto, close fight, very close fight. Obviously, my coach has been paying close attention to the fights that he's had. We've been going through a great game plan, and obviously, we know he's a southpaw."
The victory at ONE 171 kept Haggerty's standing as ONE world champion after he lost the bantamweight Muay Thai belt in his previous match against Superlek Kiatmoo9.