Jonathan Haggerty reminds ‘smack talking’ Fabricio Andrade: “I can reply back”

At ONE Fight Night 16, Jonathan Haggerty will step inside the circle for a main event all-champion showdown.

As a two-time Muay Thai world champ in the promotion, the Brit is no stranger to marquee match-ups against some of the best strikers in the world.

This time around, however, things are different. Not only is he up against a very different opponent to any other previous match-up but this contest will take place in kickboxing.

With the vacant ONE bantamweight kickboxing world championship on the line, Muay Thai champ Haggerty will face off with MMA titleholder Fabricio Andrade with both men competing for two-sport glory inside one of the most historic venues of the sport.

On top of adjusting to the kickboxing ruleset in ONE Championship, ‘The General’ will be up against an elite martial artist who will be competing in a striking-only ruleset for the first time inside the circle.

‘Wonder Boy’ has proven himself to be a dangerous competitor while the fight stays standing in MMA but how will he fare against the man who dethroned Nong-O Hama earlier this year?

Though both men are best known for their exciting fighting styles, they have also got the fans hyped up for this one with their exchanges ahead of their return inside the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Going back and forth with each other, there has been mutual respect but also incredibly high self-confidence radiating from both parties.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Jonathan Haggerty spoke about his approach to trash-talking and how he has let his opponent know a few times that he can play that game as well:

“I’m not one who likes to start talking smack. But if there’s someone out there who wants to do it, you know, I can reply back. But I think the respect is always there between us fighters but it just adds some more excitement to it, you feel me.”

ONE Fight Night 16 will air live and free in US primetime for North American viewers with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.