Still one of the best fights so far - Fans hail Jonathan Haggerty and Felipe Lobo's barnburner as potential all-time classic
You can't deny the type of excitement Jonathan Haggerty and Felipe Lobo generated in their Muay Thai world title clash earlier this year at ONE Fight Night 19.
Like every potential all-time classic, their thrilling world championship fight brought the best out of both men, as they used whatever weapons they had in their arsenal to knock each other out.
Haggerty, the defending ONE bantamweight Muay Thai and kickboxing world champion, started to chop at Lobo's legs early to begin the round. Lobo, the challenger for the Muay Thai throne, continued pressing forward despite feeling the sting of those kicks.
He did well in backing up the champ against the ropes to throw in combinations, which had started to make Haggerty respect him and his power.
Lobo continued to stay on Haggerty, eventually dropping the British superstar against the ropes after a series of punches. It seemed like Lobo would continue with the momentum in the second round, but Jonathan Haggerty proved more resilient than expected.
He dug deep, responding to Lobo's attacks with great counters that would hurt Lobo, but it wasn't enough to keep him from moving forward.
After a thrilling back-and-forth brawl, Haggerty's defining moment arrived in the third round. He landed a beautiful right that immediately dropped his challenger against the canvas. The Brazilian was unable to recover, forcing the referee to end the fight at the 40-second mark.
Fans online remember their electrifying fight as if it were yesterday, rating it as a potential all-time classic.
Check out their reactions below:
Can Jonathan Haggerty do the same to flyweight kickboxing kingpin Superlek Kiatmoo9 at ONE 168: Denver? Find out on September 6 at the Ball Arena in Colorado.
Tickets for ONE 168 are available at Ticketmaster.
"Now's the time to get revenge" - Jonathan Haggerty looking to avenge an old Muay Thai loss to Superlek
'The General' Jonathan Haggerty is looking forward to avenging a loss if he can beat Superlek Kiatmoo9 at ONE 168.
The two strikers previously fought outside of the promotion nearly eight years ago when they were both competing at the flyweight category. Haggerty, unfortunately, took the loss by doctor's stoppage after getting cut by Superlek in the second round.
Now, Haggerty is thrilled to run it back again with the dominant Thai kickboxer for his second defense of the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Haggerty said:
"Now's the time, you know, to get revenge and I'm excited for it."
Watch from the 2:30-minute mark below: