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Jonathan Haggerty is set to make the first defense of his ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world championship when he steps back on the global stage at ONE Fight Night 19.
Standing across the ring inside the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, will be Brazil’s Felipe Lobo, a man that the champion has some history at this stage in their careers.
While he is focused on getting the job done in American primetime on February 16, ‘The General’ can’t help but have his eye on another contender in the division that has been hotly tipped since he arrived in ONE Championship.
Scotland’s Nico Carrillo brings a lot of hype to the table and his performances have backed that up with his devastating speed and power posing a real threat to anyone who comes up against him.
With one eye on Lobo and one on Carillo, Haggerty spoke about being excited to silence the doubters when he finally faces off with ‘The King of the North’.
He told the South China Morning Post:
“What happens when you can't rely on your strength and your like your power? What else has he got I don't think his footwork is good I think his balance is off. So we’ll just have to see when we come face to face what happens and I can’t wait to shut him up.”
Watch the full interview below:
Jonathan Haggerty has the pressure on his shoulders of being a two-sport world champion
Reigning over two different divisions at the same time is an incredible accomplishment for Jonathan Haggerty but it also comes with a lot of pressure.
Lobo and Carrillo are just two of the contenders who are waiting for their moment to try and knock the Brit off the top spot and are seemingly set to be his next two opponents.
For Haggerty, the emphasis has to be on facing one hurdle at a time to ensure that he gets the win and keeps hold of the belt for the foreseeable future.
Both men present very difficult and different challenges but facing that is part of being a world champion and Haggerty doesn’t plan on vacating the top spot anytime soon.
ONE Fight Night 19 will air live and free in U.S. primetime for North American viewers with an active Prime Video subscription.
