ONE Fight Night 19 saw Jonathan Haggerty successfully defend the ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Championship against Felipe Lobo. “The General” finished the job by TKO in the third round. However, getting the result proved more difficult than the Brit imagined.
After the match, the ONE Championship star was clear he did not like his performance. Haggerty was dropped in the first round and had to survive before rallying in the second round. Still, the British star found joy in a title tilt that turned into a war.
“I wouldn’t say it’s enjoyable fighting like that. But I love it. I do love it. I can’t say I’m happy to do it again any time soon, but it is what it is, and I’m happy to get a performance bonus and keep the belt,” Haggerty admitted to ONE.
The Brazilian entered his championship opportunity dead set on proving Haggerty could not withstand his power. Lobo was proven wrong, and that was a point of pride for “The General.” Haggerty knew he could recover and turn the tide and was happy to show that resilience to the Bangkok audience.
“There was no doubt he caught me with a big shot. I wasn’t really hurt that bad. I just thought I’d take a little rest and take a seat. I knew I’d get him back. There isn’t any quit in me. There never is, and I showed that tonight,” the Brit said.
Despite the words exchanged in the build to the event, Haggerty says there are no hard feelings. The Brazilian earned Haggerty’s respect with the firefight. The reigning champion has no ill will toward Lobo, extending him well wishes on his journey back to the top.
“After the fight, I told him that it’s just business. You’ve got to do what you got to do before the fight to build it up and psyche yourself up. At the end of the day, we’re both warriors. I respect anyone who gets in there with me, especially if they put on a performance like he did and stand in the middle of the ring and have a shootout. There’s respect there, and I wish him all the best,” the bantamweight champion recalled.
After his first defense of the gold, Haggerty now has to wait to see what comes next. Although he said he wanted a shot at Fabricio Andrade and the ONE Bantamweight MMA World Title in the post-match interview, Haggerty now says he will take some time away following the brutal title fight. Whether it is Nico Carrillo, Hiroki Akimoto, Andrade, or someone else, “The General” is positioned as one of martial arts’ most targeted men.
“I’m happy to fight anyone, but at this moment in time, it’s back to the drawing board. Forget everyone, I’m the champ-champ. They can all wait in line and discuss it amongst themselves. I’m going to have a little bit of a rest, recoup, and elevate,” Haggerty said.
