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Two-sport ONE world champion Jonathan Haggerty can’t wait to be locked inside the ONE ring with his upcoming challenger, Felipe Lobo.
‘The General’ will finally get that chance to make the Brazilian eat his words in the main event of ONE Fight Night 19 on February 16 at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok.
It’s no secret that Haggerty has had a huge target on his back ever since he claimed 26 pounds of gold in the bantamweight Muay Thai and kickboxing ranks. ‘
Among those who wish to put an end to his reign is the gutsy Felipe Lobo, who was all over the champ-champ at ONE Fight Night 16 last November.
‘The Demolition Man’ traded some barbs face-to-face with Haggerty shortly after the British fighter defeated his Tiger Muay Thai teammate Fabricio Andrade for the bantamweight kickboxing crown.
That animosity continued on social media as both fighters expressed their desire to tear the other’s head off.
In an interview with the South China Morning Post, Jonathan Haggerty said his disdain for Lobo makes his first world title defense even more exciting.
“It's not up to me who I fight, you know. I just get offered the fights and I just take them. I've always wanted to fight Felipe Lobo, it's a great fight for me, we've got a little bit of animosity, a little bit of bad blood and it’s just more exciting for the fans when we get in there and we put our fight together.”
Watch Jonathan Haggerty’s full interview with SCMP MMA:
Jonathan Haggerty wants to start 2024 on the right foot after a career-defining year
To say that Jonathan Haggerty had a big 2023 would be a massive understatement.
The 26-year-old striker inserted himself into the conversation of pound-for-pound best in the world after blasting arguably two of the best 145-pound strikers on the planet today.
‘The General’ achieved two-division supremacy when he dethroned the mighty Nong-O Hama last April. He followed that up with another career-defining performance by finishing bantamweight MMA king Fabricio Andrade to close out the year.
Do you think Haggerty will reach even greater heights in 2024?
ONE Fight Night 19 will air live on US Primetime on February 16, free of charge for existing Prime Video subscribers in North America
