Jonathan Haggerty recalls how he first reached out to ONE Championship

Jonathan Haggerty is gearing up to return to the circle on August 26 when the promotion makes its way to U.S. primetime again. As part of the absolutely stacked ONE on Prime Video 1 card, ‘The General’ will meet Amir Naseri in a ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix alternate bout.

Originally scheduled to take part in the World Grand Prix at ONE 157, Haggerty was forced to withdraw from the event and the tournament due to an undisclosed illness. Now he has the opportunity to get right back into it as an alternate, should any of the remaining competitors be unable to compete in the next round.

Ahead of his return, Jonathan Haggerty spoke to former UFC title contender Chael Sonnen about how he had reached out to ONE Championship prior to being signed by the promotion.

“I remember first messaging ONE on Instagram and said ‘I’d love to be part of your show’, but obviously no reply. So I messaged them on Instagram saying ‘I’d love to be a part of it one day’ and then about a year and a half later my trainer said to me they sent a contract so I was like ‘wow, unreal.’”

Talking about what he did in the 18 months between when he reached out to ONE Championship and received his contract, Haggerty gave a simple answer.

“I just trained hard, destined for greatness.”

Watch the video below:

Is Jonathan Haggerty destined to make it back into the Flyweight World Grand Prix?

Just when it seemed like a missed opportunity for Jonathan Haggerty, ‘The General’ gets a new lease on life when he meets Amir Naseri on August 26. He will be competing for an opportunity to get back into the Flyweight World Grand Prix mix. While a victory over Naseri doesn’t guarantee him a spot in the tournament finals, it gives him an opportunity that was seemingly lost when he was forced to withdraw from the competition back in May.

Unfortunately, Haggerty getting a spot in the tournament final means that one of the four remaining competitors suffers a setback themselves. By the end of the promotion’s massive weekend in late August, we will know who is to square off in the finals. At ONE 160, Superlek Kiatmoo9 faces Walter Goncalves. Shortly after, ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon will face Savvas Michael.

Since the beginning of the tournament, fans have had their hearts set on finals featuring ‘The Iron Man’ and Superlek. This appears to be the general consensus vote for the most desired finale, but any type of injury or illness could give way to Haggerty’s entry into the tournament.

Of course, ‘The General’ first has to get past Amir Naseri, who will be making his sophomore appearance with the promotion on August 26.

Watch Haggerty's best highlights below: