"We had a lot of animosity" - Jonathan Haggerty admits beef with Fabricio Andrade motivated him to go for the kill
Jonathan Haggerty feels like he's got Fabricio Andrade to thank for motivating him to bring out his inner beast when they fought for the kickboxing gold last year. The UK superstar has had several significant victories leading up to his world title war with bantamweight MMA world champion 'Wonder Boy' Fabricio Andrade.
Defeating big legends of the sport like Nong-O Hama and Sam-A Gaiyanghadao, probably didn't give him the type of satisfaction he felt after knocking out Andrade with one punch in the second round.
Recalling his heated rivalry with 'Wonder Boy,' Jonathan Haggerty told Retrospect:
"In this fight, Andrade, we had a little, I wouldn't say a little bit, we had a lot of animosity. There was a lot of beef there. He brought the trash talk out in me. He talked a good game. He talked a really good game."
Indeed, Fabricio Andrade inadvertently awakened a sleeping giant that night. 'The General' stayed aggressive and overwhelmed the Brazilian superstar with enough punching power to land him both a KO victory and a second world title.
Now, Haggerty will soon be defending his ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title against an even more dangerous foe, kickboxing kingpin Superlek Kiatmoo9 on Sept. 6 at ONE 168: Denver.
Tickets for ONE 168: Denver are available via Ticketmaster.
"Look at him talking s***" - 'Mighty Mouse' Demetrious Johnson praises Jonathan Haggerty's trash talk against Fabricio Andrade's teammate Felipe Lobo
As fans, we all love watching a little trash talk during fights. So does ONE flyweight MMA world champion Demetrious Johnson. He commentated on Jonathan Haggerty's epic Muay Thai knockout over No.1 contender Felipe Lobo.
Ever since Haggerty fought Fabricio Andrade, it's been tough to hold back his trash-talking ways. And since Felipe Lobo is a long-time teammate to Andrade, Haggerty felt it appropriate to teach him a lesson as well.
'Mighty Mouse' absolutely loved the action leading up to Lobo's demise at ONE Fight Night 19 earlier this year.
On Instagram, he was captioned saying:
"OOEEEIIIII! He's done. Look at him [Haggerty] talking s***! I love it! He goes, 'Huh!? You want some more?' He goes, 'Uh Oh! What happened?' When it comes to Muay Thai, man, it's about a battle of who's got the best chin, and who can recover, and who can dish it, and who can eat it."
Watch the hilarious clip below: