“He deserves it” – Jonathan Haggerty says he respects Felipe Lobo despite their shared animosity

Undisputed ONE bantamweight Muay Thai and kickboxing king Jonathan Haggerty may share animosity with upcoming opponent and fourth-ranked ONE bantamweight Muay Thai contender Felipe Lobo. But the 26-year-old English superstar said he maintains a lot of respect for his Brazilian counterpart.

Haggerty and Lobo are set to lock horns in the main event of ONE Fight Night 19: Haggerty vs. Lobo on Prime Video, with the bantamweight Muay Thai throne in the balance. The event broadcasts live from the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on Friday, February 16th.

Speaking to ONE Championship in a recent interview, Haggerty said despite the heated words shared with Lobo, he respects the man as a fighter.

“He deserves it. He stopped Saemapetch. He's a great fighter. There's respect there in the fighter sense. I just feel like we're gonna gel well.”

Jonathan Haggerty was especially impressed with Lobo’s third-round knockout of highly regarded Saemapetch Fairtex in April 2023. Now ‘The General’ is excited to put on his own classic against Lobo.

Jonathan Haggerty never takes any opponent lightly: “I train as hard as possible for everyone”

As confident as he is, ‘The General’ Jonathan Haggerty said he’s only able to stay atop the division because of the humility he approaches every fight with. Haggerty believes every man he stands across from in the ring is the toughest test of his career, and this is what has kept him honest.

‘The General’ told the South China Morning Post in a recent interview:

“Everyone I get in there with, I take it as if they're going to be the toughest test. I train as hard as possible for everyone and, yeah, this belt stands where it belongs and that's for me.”

ONE Fight Night 19: Haggerty vs. Lobo airs live on U.S. primetime on Friday, February 16. Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action absolutely free with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription. Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding the event.