Jonathan Haggerty says his first Muay Thai title defense should be against ‘legend’ Nong-O: “He deserves a shot”

Jonathan Haggerty is more than willing to put his ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title on the line against the man he took it from, Thai martial arts icon Nong-O Hama.

‘The General’ added another 26 pounds of ONE Championship gold to his collection at ONE Fight Night 16, scoring a brutal second-round knockout of bantamweight MMA champion Fabricio Andrade to claim the vacant bantamweight kickboxing crown.

Next, Jonathan Haggerty plans on returning to ‘the art of eight limbs’ to defend the Muay Thai strap.

As for who that could come against, ‘The General’ believes the most deserving fighter is the same one he knocked out to take the title at ONE Fight Night 9 in April.

“I want to defend my Muay Thai belt next. Obviously, I feel like just because Nong-O was a reigning champion for so long, and I came in there and knocked him out in round one, he’s undefeated for 13 years,” Haggerty told the South China Morning Post. “I feel like he deserves a shot, for sure. He's the legend.”

Before his shocking loss against Haggerty, Nong-O Hama won 10-straight matches inside the Circle, including multiple title defenses, with wins over Saemapetch Fairtex, Liam ‘Hitman’ Harrison, and Alaverdi Ramazanov.

If anyone is deserving of a rematch based on their utter dominance before defeat, it certainly is Nong-O.

Previously, Nong-O suggested that a return by the end of the year was on the agenda, but with the clock running out in 2023, it’s possible we won’t see the Thai superstar back inside the Circle until after the new year.

The question is, will his return come against Jonathan Haggerty, or will Nong-O need to win one before earning the opportunity to reclaim the bantamweight Muay Thai title?

If you missed any of the action or want to relive an epic night in ONE Championship history, the ONE Fight Night 16: Haggerty vs. Andrade replay can be watched anytime on demand via Amazon Prime Video in North America.