Jonathan Haggerty will have to dethrone one of the most dominant titleholders in ONE Championship history if he wants to snatch the gold on Friday, April 21.
“The General” will challenge eight-time ONE bantamweight muay Thai world champion Nong-O Hama at ONE Fight Night 9, which fans in the U.S. and Canada can watch for free with an Amazon Prime membership.
While seven men have failed to take the belt off Nong-O’s waist, the British superstar is confident he has the tools necessary to end his rival’s reign of terror. Here are three reasons why he is the man for the job.
1. He has dethroned a legend before
A similar narrative followed Haggerty when he faced Sam-A Gaiyanghadao in Jakarta, Indonesia, back in May 2019.
The Thai legend came to ONE with a staggering 366 professional wins to his name, as well as a bevy of titles including the prestigious Lumpinee Stadium muay Thai world championship.
Sam-A had already dispatched his first two opponents en route to adding the ONE flyweight muay Thai world title to his list of accomplishments.
Enter Haggerty, then only 22 years old.
Only four months removed from his promotional debut, the young challenger showed no fear in the face of the decorated Sam-A.
Standing toe-to-toe with the icon, Haggerty challenged Sam-A in every facet of muay Thai and outworked him to claim a unanimous decision victory – and the shiny gold belt.
With the experience of that fateful night, taking on Nong-O will inspire no apprehension from Haggerty.
2. He took it right up to Rodtang, twice
Rodtang Jitmuangnon has been one of the most destructive forces ever seen in the ONE circle.
“The Iron Man” had already reeled off four big promotional victories when his path crossed with Haggerty back in August 2019.
The then-flyweight muay Thai king was fresh off his win over Sam-A, but due to Rodtang’s dangerous reputation, he was the underdog once again.
While he lost the belt via razor-close decision, Haggerty was impressive and arguably had the better of the Thai slugger in the early rounds.
The rematch was also a firefight, although Rodtang did win by third-round stoppage.
Haggerty is no stranger to being the underdog, and he has never been overmatched when taking on the cream of the crop.
3. He has a supremely well-rounded skillset
As a dedicated practitioner of “the art of eight limbs,” Haggerty has never been lacking in any area of the game.
“The General” showed that he had hands in his dominant decision win over Taiki Naito in December 2020, dropping the dangerous Japanese star on multiple occasions with hard punches.
Against Rodtang, the 26-year-old Brit proved that he had the kicking game to trouble any fighter on the planet, as he controlled the range with teeps and landed body kicks in the early rounds.
When it comes to elbows, it was Joseph Lasiri who felt Haggerty’s wrath in January 2019. The future ONE strawweight muay Thai world champion tasted the canvas after running into a vicious elbow combination.
So wherever the fight goes with Nong-O, you can bet “The General” will be able to hold his own.
