Jonathan Haggerty Muay Thai: "Legend vs legend" - Fans can't get enough of Rodtang Jitmuangnon and Jonathan Haggerty's star-making duel in Manila

Muay Thai great Rodtang Jitmuangnon and ONE bantamweight kickboxing world champion Jonathan Haggerty gave fans a glimpse into their superstar potential when they crossed paths at ONE: Dawn of Heroes in August 2019.

Happening inside the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines, Rodtang challenged the then-reigning ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion for the throne after notching four consecutive wins to start his ONE tenure.

Once the opening bell rang, chaos ensued as the Jitmuangnon Gym star lived up to his 'The Iron Man' moniker by walking down Haggerty and repeatedly taunting the British standout to come at him. 'The General' gladly obliged, and fans eventually witnessed an epic five-round war.

When the dust settled, Rodtang's hyper-aggressive fighting style led to him dethroning the 28-year-old via unanimous decision.

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Watch the highlights of their fight below, which ONE posted on Instagram:

Fans applauded Rodtang and Haggerty's unrelenting display of offense in the comments section, writing:

"Legend vs legend 👏"

"WAR 🔥🔥🙌"

"One of the greatest fights on One."

"There are no fights like this anywhere."

"That was a great fight."

Screenshot of comments. [ONE Championship/Instagram]

Jonathan Haggerty is hoping for a trilogy bout with Rodtang under Muay Thai rules

Jonathan Haggerty rematched Rodtang for the gold in January 2020, but ultimately succumbed to the Thai icon's power via a third-round stoppage. With a trilogy bout seemingly on the horizon, Haggerty believes it should happen under Muay Thai rules.

Speaking recently with the South China Morning Post, he said:

"I would prefer to fight him in Muay Thai just so I can throw some elbows. I mean, he's a Muay Thai fighter, I'm a Muay Thai fighter, so Muay Thai would be better for me. But we'll see."

Watch the entire interview below:

About the author

Karl has been an MMA writer at Sportskeeda since 2023. He holds a Bachelor of Arts major in history, which helps him pay attention to the finer details while writing, and also has first-hand experience in boxing. He has a total experience of 5 years, and has worked for the International Business Times.

Karl turned into an MMA fan back in 2011 after watching Tito Ortiz defeat Ryan Bader via first-round submission at UFC 132. He has interviewed ONE world champions like Eduard Folayang, Joshua Pacio, Stamp Fairtex, and Tawanchai in his career so far.

On the non-MMA side of things, he interviewed WWE superstar Matt Riddle in 2021 and his question about Roman Reigns elicited an interesting answer which was widely covered by outlets like Sportskeeda and Cultaholic Wrestling's YouTube channel. He has also interviewed NBA stars Dwight Howard, Nick Young, Andre Roberson, Shabazz Muhammad, Jason Williams and Brian Scalabrine plus Filipino women's volleyball star Alyssa Valdez.

Karl ensures to double-check facts before using them in articles, and reads up on potential topics for pieces a day before. In his off time, he likes to play video games, and keep up with basketball and pro wrestling.

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Edited by Tejas Rathi