“Would be a smart decision to postpone the fight” – Fabricio Andrade regrets taking Jonathan Haggerty fight while injured

ONE bantamweight MMA world champion Fabricio Andrade said that, with the benefit of hindsight, he should not have proceeded taking on the fight against Jonathan Haggerty injured. He underscored that it only made things worse for him as he was unable to perform up to his standards.

‘Wonder Boy’ was knocked out by bantamweight Muay Thai king Haggerty in their all-champion clash for the division’s vacant kickboxing world title back in November. ‘The General’ was simply overwhelming and did not allow Andrade to get his game going en route to the second-round KO win.

In an interview with the South China Morning Post, Andrade said that while he accepted the defeat, he lamented that multiple injuries prevented him from putting up a better showing against Haggerty.

The Brazilian superstar said:

“If I could go back, it would be a smart decision to postpone the fight, you know, take care of the injury, then get the fight because I believe if I'm 100 percent, I’m sure the fight would be very, very different.”

Watch the interview below:

The loss dashed Fabricio Andrade’s bid to become a two-sport ONE world champion while also sending him to his first defeat after racking up six straight victories since making his promotional debut in July 2020.

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Jonathan Haggerty says Fabricio Andrade’s injury claim just an excuse

Double ONE world champion Jonathan Haggerty dismisses Fabricio Andrade’s injury claim as a mere excuse after he dealt him a devastating knockout loss in their all-champion clash back in November.

‘The General’ sent ‘Wonder Boy’ to KO-ville at their title showdown for the vacant ONE bantamweight kickboxing world title at ONE Fight Night 16 on November 3. He unleashed a barrage of strikes in the second round that Andrade had a hard time handling, culminating in the Brazilian dropping and being unable to continue after at the 1:57 mark.

Following the fight, Fabricio Andrade shared that multiple injuries on fight night prevented him from putting up a better stand.

Haggerty, however, refused to buy it, saying his rival was just making excuses. The British striker told the South China Morning Post:

“I don't believe in excuses. If you're injured, don't take the fight, especially coming up against someone like me. Do I believe him? Not sure. I had three weeks to fight him. So let's just put it that way. I had a three-week camp to beat him up.”

See the interview below:

Haggerty, however, said that he would not mind going in a rematch with Andrade, particularly in his lane of MMA so that he could take the title from the Brazilian champion.

Until then, Haggerty will focus now on his upcoming defense of the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title against Felipe Lobo at ONE Fight Night 19 on February 16 at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription can catch the entire ONE Fight Night 19 card live and for free in U.S. primetime.