Jonathan Haggerty makes early pick for Superlek vs. Walter Goncalves Grand Prix semifinal

Jonathan Haggerty was scheduled to participate in the ONE flyweight Muay Thai world grand prix, which is slated to continue at ONE on Prime Video 1 on August 26. The event will see epic semifinal matchups between the first-round winners of the tournament.

‘The General’ was to open the world grand prix against Walter Goncalves at ONE 157 in May but was forced to withdraw due to an undisclosed illness. Instead, Josue Cruz stepped in on short notice to take Haggerty’s place. It took Goncalves 35 seconds to dispatch Cruz and punch his ticket to the second round, where he faces one of the tournament favorites, Superlek Kiatmoo9.

Watch Superlek in action below:

Ahead of the semifinal contest, Jonathan Haggerty spoke with the South China Morning Post to give his thoughts on how his original opponent will fare against the Muay Thai icon, Superlek.

“It’s a tricky one, really. Walter [Goncalves] is a very tricky opponent. He’s small, but he brings a lot of skill. You don’t really know what he’s going to bring. That’s what I was sort of thinking when I was going to fight him. I wasn’t sure of what he was going to bring. On the other side is Superlek. You know what he’s going to bring, he’s going to bring his kicks, his power, and his experience.”

Pressed for an answer, Haggerty believes the four-time Muay Thai world champion will get the job done.

“I’m going to go with Superlek in that one.”

Watch the interview below:

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Walter Goncalves has unfinished business with Jonathan Haggerty

Originally scheduled to square off in April, ONE flyweight Muay Thai world grand prix semi-finalist Walter Goncalves says he still has unfinished business with Jonathan Haggerty. During his ONE 157 post-fight interview, the Brazilian striker said:

“We do have matters to finish because he teased me, and now I want to show him what I showed him on the screen, I want to show him in the ring,” he said. “I hope he gets well soon and gets strong, trains a lot, and gets prepared because I didn’t want to show him [what I will do to him] on the screen, I wanted to show him on the ring.”

Fortunately, 'The General' made a quick recovery, returned to work, and prepared for his return. The former world champion now steps in to face Amir Naseri in a World Grand Prix alternate bout, leaving a pathway for Goncalves to potentially meet Haggerty in the tournament finals should multiple pieces fall into place.

Watch Goncalves' story below: