Jonathan haggerty is open to trilogies against Rodtang and Superlek next in ONE Championship, after underlining his status as “one of the greatest strikers on the planet”, according to Chatri Sityodtong.
Haggerty shook off the demons from a 49-second KO loss to Superlek at ONE 168 last September by securing an impressive unanimous decision win over Wei Rui last week in Qatar.
“The General” lost his bantamweight Muay Thai belt in Denver, but kept hold of his kickboxing title after a comprehensive masterclass in the ONE 171 co-main event.
That is, after a shaky first round at Lusail Sports Arena.
“I was sitting with Renzo Gracie. I looked at him and said ‘Jon is gonna get knocked out’, because Wei Rui looked so scary in that first round,” Chatri said at the post-event press conference. “Then suddenly Jon elevated his game and won four rounds in a row. That’s what champions do.”
“I think it was just I didn’t want to get knocked out in 49 seconds again,” Haggerty said with a smile, when asked by the Bangkok Post why he was initially so cautious.
“I learned from my mistakes. Me and my team went back to the drawing board – we didn’t want to rush in. We took our time to get the game plan right and have a great fight.”
As for what’s next, Haggerty is open to all offers.
“Whatever ONE and Chatri want, I’ll take it,” he added. “I’ve been in there with Superlek and Rodtang twice. I don’t shy away – whatever gives the fans entertainment, I'm here to put it on.”
ONE chairman and CEO Chatri is keen to see Haggerty write third chapters against both men, with the former flyweight Muay Thai champion Rodtang expressing interest in moving up for a trilogy.
“You’ve seen Jon come through adversity and he eats it for lunch. Jon has a lot of great fights – the world wants to see him against Rodtang again, Superlek, Nico Carillo. There’s a long list,” Chatri added.
“Jonathan wants to cement his legacy as the world’s greatest striker. If we say, ‘Who is the best pound for pound now?’ then I agree with Jon that it’s Superlek.
“But it’s millimeters the difference between Jon and Superlek, Rodtang and Superlek, Jon and Rodtang or Tawanchai – there are four or five guys you can see are the pound-for-pound best on the planet.
“What Jonathan says in public, he says in private – and in private he says ‘anybody’. He’s really a fighters’ fighter. He’ll take a fight against anybody – even King Kong, he’ll fight him.”
“Orthodox it comes natural, but we had to put a plan together. The first round, like Chatri said, was a bit rocky. I had to find myself. It reminded me of the [Felipe] Lobo fight, where I needed that punch in the face to get myself going.
“But I enjoyed it in there. We stuck to the game plan. I listened to my little brother in the corner throw some good things at me. I’m happy how it went and I can’t wait to get back in there.”
