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Former ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion Jonathan Haggerty recently called out Fabricio Andrade. His challenge did not fall on deaf ears.
‘The General’, who will be making his bantamweight Muay Thai debut against Vladimir Kuzmin at ONE on Prime Video 4: Abbasov vs Lee on November 18, has always been open about his desire to transition to mixed martial arts someday.
In a recent interview with The MMA Superfan, Haggerty revealed that ‘Wonder Boy’ is the first name that comes to mind as a possible opponent:
“Fabricio Andrade is really good, standup-wise. I’d love to test myself. You can tell by the people I’ve been in the ring with. I get in with the best to be the best. That’s my saying. Take risks and prosper.”
This reached the 25-year-old Brazilian, who entertained the idea by sharing Haggerty’s quote graphic posted on Sportskeeda MMA’s Instagram page. The No.1-ranked ONE bantamweight fighter wrote:
“Get some wins and I might give you a chance.”
ONE fans, of course, are no strangers to Jonathan Haggerty’s precise striking brilliance.
The 25-year-old Brit is one of the most technical disciples of the striking arts in the promotion, with huge wins over the likes of Joseph Lasiri, Sam-A Gaiyanghadao, Taiki Naito, and Arthur Meyer.
Then again, striking in MMA is a whole different animal altogether.
Plus, Andrade is no slouch on the feet either. The Tiger Muay Thai product has three first-round knockout wins inside the circle. He was also on the verge of becoming the ONE bantamweight world champion if not for an unfortunate foul against John Lineker at ONE on Prime Video 3.
Regardless, it will be interesting to see if Haggerty’s lethal standup skills translate to MMA, especially against a proven finisher like Andrade.
Jonathan Haggerty says his MMA skills will shock fans
Jonathan Haggerty fell in love with Muay Thai at a young age and dedicated his entire life to mastering the craft.
However, he could have just as easily put all that energy into mixed martial arts, considering he grew up in an MMA gym.
‘The General’ recently shared an interesting story about his childhood in the same interview. He quipped:
“MMA is definitely on the cards. I know I keep saying it. You’ll see me one day doing a triangle lock. You’ll be shocked. I grew up in an MMA gym since I was right around six with my father. I’ve been messing about, rolling about, and I’ve been taking classes here and there. Be careful.”
Jonathan Haggerty winning a fight on the ground by submission? Now that’s something we’d definitely pay to see.
Here's the full interview:
