Christian Knowles Jonathan Haggerty: WATCH: Famed coach Christian Knowles screams his heart out in Jonathan Haggerty's final flyweight match in Singapore

British striking coach Christian Knowles has played a massive role in ONE bantamweight kickboxing world champion Jonathan Haggerty's rise to prominence in ONE Championship. But before dominating the 145-pound striking scene, he first competed in the 135-pound flyweight division.

The former ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion officially said goodbye to the division that brought him to superstar status when he fought Mongkolpetch Petchyindee at ONE: Bad Blood in February 2022.

Given that this event happened during the pandemic and ONE fans were not yet allowed to watch the fights inside the venue, it was no surprise that Knowles' cheers for his ward were heard clearly on the broadcast.

Watch the clip below, which ONE posted on Instagram:

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After defeating Mongkolpetch via unanimous decision, Haggerty posted four straight wins. This includes his unceremonious dethronement of then-reigning ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion Nong-O Hama in April 2023 and his second-round knockout of ONE bantamweight MMA world champion Fabricio Andrade to capture the then-vacant 145-pound kickboxing crown in November that same year.

Though he dropped the Muay Thai gold to ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion Superlek Kiatmoo9 last September at ONE 168: Denver, he rebounded with a stellar defense of the kickboxing throne against Wei Rui this past February.

Christian Knowles speaks on Jonathan Haggerty's next possible opponent

Christian Knowles recently spoke with Wesley Gunman Graham on who Jonathan Haggerty might face next, and the list is led by two former foes: Superlek and former ONE flyweight Muay Thai king Rodtang Jitmuangnon.

The head coach of Knowlesy Academy shared:

"So yeah, he [Haggerty] could do it, yeah. But I think Rodtang has mentioned that he wants Superlek, and as a coach, I really like them two fights for Jon. Because Jon's fought Superlek and Rodtang, we've learned so much since them fights."

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 Harvey Leonard