Jonathan Haggerty Muay Thai: WATCH: British superstar Jonathan Haggerty shows utmost persistence in early duel against former Muay Thai champ

ONE featherweight kickboxing world champion Jonathan Haggerty rarely ever lets his foot off the gas pedal, especially if he sees that he can overpower his opponent. This fate befell former ONE strawweight Muay Thai world champion Joseph Lasiri in their January 2019 clash.

The then-debuting Haggerty understood that he needed to make a strong first impression as fans expected 'The Hurricane' to rough him up badly with his knees in the clinch.

While he had a bit of a slow start, 'The General' made up for it by repeatedly throwing his patented tomahawk elbows, which eventually led to him dropping Lasiri with about 20 seconds remaining in the opening round. Haggerty dominated the rest of the fight to win via unanimous decision.

Check out Jonathan Haggerty's relentless offense below, which ONE posted on Instagram:

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Few knew it at the time, but his one-sided showing against the Italian-Moroccan would ultimately herald his incredible tenure in the world's largest martial arts promotion.

Along with being the reigning king of the 145-pound kickboxing ranks, the 28-year-old British superstar is also the former ONE flyweight and bantamweight Muay Thai world champion.

Jonathan Haggerty still hoping to challenge Fabricio Andrade for MMA gold

After knocking out ONE bantamweight MMA world champion Fabricio Anrdade in November 2023 to capture the then-vacant bantamweight kickboxing throne, Jonathan Haggerty wanted to challenge him for the MMA crown in the hopes of becoming the first ONE athlete to hold gold in three different sports simultaneously. However, plans fell through.

In a recent interview with ONE, the Knowlesy Academy and Team Underground representative is optimistic that an MMA world title tilt with 'Wonder Boy' could still happen, saying:

"I wish I could've fought Fabricio Andrade to hold three belts simultaneously, but ONE had other plans so we'll see what happens on that front."

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 Harvey Leonard