"I'm going to be different" - Felipe Lobo believes he has changed for the better ahead of Jonathan Haggerty war on February 16

Brazilian bantamweight Muay Thai contender Felipe Lobo claimed that he will be parading a better version of him as a fighter when he vies for his division’s world title later this week in Bangkok, Thailand.

‘The Demolition Man’ will gun for the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai championship belt against reigning champion Jonathan Haggerty at ONE Fight Night 19 on Prime Video.

It will serve as the headlining contest of the event. The bout will take place at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium and will air live in US primetime, free of charge for existing Prime Video subscribers in North America.

Heading into the marquee match, Felipe Lobo said he trained in a different gear so as to come up with a formidable challenge to Haggerty. The 30-year-old Tiger Muay Thai affiliate told CountFilmsTV in an interview:

“I [have been] training a lot of conditioning training too, something that I'm not used to doing before, like training my muscles, my body, my spring, you know, being more explosive and more aggressive, so I think I’m going to be different for this next fight.”

Watch the interview below:

At ONE Fight Night 19, Lobo will be making another go at the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title after falling short in his first attempt in March 2022 against former longtime divisional king Nong-O Hama. He is coming off a rebound victory in April last year, when he knocked out Saemapetch Fairtex in the third round.

Jonathan Haggerty, meanwhile, is making his first defense of the bantamweight Muay Thai title after becoming the world champion in April, when he KO’d Nong-O in the opening round.

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Felipe Lobo says he has to be careful of the speed of Jonathan Haggerty

While he is confident after having prepared well for his upcoming fight, Felipe Lobo said he still needs to be careful of certain facets of opponent Jonathan Haggerty’s game, including speed, to give himself a better shot at winning.

The third-ranked bantamweight Muay Thai title contender said that he is taking cues from how ‘The General’ seized the world title from longtime divisional king Nong-O Hama in April last year, when he won by knockout in the opening round.

In an interview with The AllStar podcast, the Tiger Muay Thai standout stated it is something he will look to address when he battles Haggerty for the world title at ONE Fight Night 19 on Prime Video on February 16 in Thailand.

He said:

“Like I said, like Haggerty did everything so fast, you know. At the beginning of the round, you can see that his timing was so good. Nong-O’s timing was slow, and Haggerty did everything so fast.”

Lobo added:

“This is something that I have to really be careful of. If I’m not careful, I know I’ll be in trouble. But I’m ready to do this in the fight. If he comes fast, I will be fast as well.”

Watch the interview below:

Felipe Lobo made his ONE debut in September 2020 and currently holds a 3-1 record.