WATCH: A young Jonathan Haggerty scores historic upset over Thai legend Sam-A for ONE flyweight Muay Thai crown
British combat sports superstar Jonathan Haggerty first struck gold in ONE Championship in his second bout in May 2019 at ONE: For Honor when he challenged the legendary Sam-A Gaiyanghadao for the ONE flyweight Muay Thai world title.
The best moments during that showdown were relived by the promotion on Instagram recently, and they posted the video with the caption:
"LEGENDARY performance 👑 Will Jonathan Haggerty remain the bantamweight Muay Thai king when he defends the throne against Superlek on September 6 at ONE 168: Denver? 👊 @jhaggerty_"
Right from the get-go, Haggerty's strategy is to stand and bang with Sam-A and not yield on his forward pressure. Then, 'The General' maximized his boxing combinations and atomic elbow strikes to inflict significant damage against the Thai icon.
This incredible back-and-forth between the two striking maestros resulted in a bloody match, and in the end, the Keddles Gym, Knowlesy Academy, and Team Underground representative got the unanimous decision win over Evolve MMA athlete to become the new undisputed world champion in the division.
Jonathan Haggerty went on to become a two-sport world champion after first world title triumph
Haggerty may have failed to defend his 26-pound golden belt and become a dominant titleholder during his reign in the flyweight Muay Thai division due to Rodtang Jitmuangnon's back-to-back victories over him, but he went on to become a two-sport world champion.
Four years and six fights later, the 27-year-old sensation has become the undisputed ONE bantamweight Muay Thai and kickboxing world champion after beating Thai icon Nong-O Hama and ONE bantamweight MMA world champion Fabricio Andrade.
Now, he is booked for his second defense of the bantamweight Muay Thai world championship against the challenge of ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion Superlek Kiatmoo9 on September 6 at ONE 168: Denver.
ONE 168: Denver goes down at the Ball Arena in U.S. primetime on Sept. 6. Tickets for the event are available on Ticketmaster.