Doha, Qatar: Jonathan Haggerty proved at ONE 171: Qatar that he is evolving as a fighter. There, he showed a more calculated and disciplined approach to successfully defend his ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Title.
Instead of the all-out aggression that led to his 49-second knockout loss to Superlek Kiatmoo9 in their ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Championship showdown last year, Haggerty took his time, adjusted to his opponent, and stuck to the game plan to score a unanimous decision win over Wei Rui inside Lusail Sports Arena.
The British megastar admitted that patience and strategy played a major role in his victory over the #1-ranked contender.
“I think I just didn’t want to get knocked out in 49 seconds again,” Haggerty said in the post-fight press conference. “I learned from my mistakes. Me, my coach, my team, we went back to the drawing board. We just didn’t want to rush in. We had to take our time and get the game plan right.”
That strategy paid off. While Wei pressured him early, Haggerty stayed composed. The Englishman avoided unnecessary risks and controlled the exchanges as the fight progressed. Afterward, he credited his team, particularly his coach Christian Knowles, for helping him craft the perfect approach.
“We were studying Wei Rui,” Haggerty said. “The hard thing about it was that everyone thought I was going to go in there and destroy him, and that he shouldn’t be in there with me.
"But he was a great opponent. We trained very hard, strategic-wise as well. The game plan for a southpaw was there. It was difficult because when you train for an orthodox fighter, it comes naturally. Training for a southpaw, we had to put all the game plans together, and I think that’s what we did in there.”
Despite a slow start, the 28-year-old admitted he needed a wake-up call in the fight.
“The first round was a bit rocky,” he said. “I had to find myself. It reminded me a little bit of the [Felipe] Lobo fight. I needed that little bit of a punch to the face to get myself going. But I enjoyed it in there. Strategic-wise, we stuck to the game plan.”
After defending his belt in dominant fashion, Haggerty isn’t picking names for his next fight. Instead, he reaffirmed his willingness to fight anyone ONE Championship puts in front of him. He even mentioned former opponents Superlek and Rodtang Jitmuangnon, both of whom hold two wins over him.
“Whatever ONE Championship or Chatri [Sityodtong] wants to give me, I’m here to take it,” Haggerty said. “I’ve been in there with the likes of Superlek twice and Rodtang twice. I don’t shy away from any fight, so whatever gives the fans entertainment, I’m here to put it on.”
His fearless mindset was backed by ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong, who praised Haggerty for staying true to his word in a sport where most fighters carefully pick their opponents behind the scenes.
“Actually, I will say this, 100 percent of fighters around the world say they will fight anybody in public, but in private, no,” said Sityodtong, who sat next to the British World Champion in the post-fight presser.
“I’ll tell you this, Jonathan is someone who says it in public and in private. He says ‘anybody.’ He’s the guy. He’s really a fighter’s fighter, man. This guy will take a fight against anybody, even King Kong, he’d fight him.”
