No one needs an introduction to how Jonathan Haggerty prepares to defeat his opponents. However, this time he ensured he was prepared to the brim before he flew to the United States For ONE 168 in Denver. The two-sport world champion always documents his training and experiences through social media. He recently shared a video on YouTube documenting his training camp in Thailand. In the video, he shared a strategy that he will be employing when he faces Superlek in two weeks. 

He said on his YouTube channel, “So this fight against Superlek you know you are going to be working on. A lot of blocking at counterattacking for instance he likes to jab a lot before he kicks so we will be working on that. We are excited to exploit his weaknesses.”

He further narrated, “I believe we had the hardest fights out there. I have never ducked any fight, I have always taken the hardest fights in the division, I thought the best in the world the guys that nobody thought could be beaten. I stepped up again and again and again and I have done my thing. Coming September 6th it’s going to be the same scenario.” 

The reigning ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion is going to face Superlek for a second time after they fought outside of ONE Championship in 2018. So let’s see how he is training for the second match and what happened during the first bout.

What happened during the first fight with Superlek?

The reigning ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Champion achieved a victory over Haggerty when they squared off at Yokkao in the UK. Haggerty was unable to continue the fight because of a cut above his eye during their first bout. His brother Freddie Haggerty even talked about the same.

He said, “I think the first fight was stopped most pathetically. It was the tiniest cut on Jon. You could’ve put a plaster over it, it was so little. But for him to work back to this point, to grow so much, and to have the chance to even the scores, it couldn’t be bigger. If he beats Superlek, he’s the pound-for-pound best.”

Both fighters have impressive records in ONE Championship since they last faced each other. Haggerty claimed the flyweight Muay Thai belt early in his run, but lost the belt and failed to reclaim it in back-to-back bouts with Rodtang “The Iron Man” Jitmuangnon. However, he has been dominant against other foes even as he eventually moved up to the bantamweight ranks. There, he knocked out former longtime titleholder Nong-O Hama to claim the ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title and later stopped MMA king Fabricio Andrade from taking the vacant kickboxing belt. 

On the flipside, Superlek is on a 10-fight winning streak. Two of his last three victories have come against striking icons, Takeru Segawa and Rodtang “The Iron Man” Jitmuangnon, leaving little doubt on his ability to overcome world-class talent. He steps into the bantamweight ranks for the first time in his promotional run.

Jonathan Haggerty Getting Ready To Put On A Show At ONE 168

Haggerty showed how he was training for this present fight in Koh Samui and highlighted the discipline and focus he needed to stay at the top of his game. He is already used to headlining major fight cards. The fighter has been the headliner for six of his 10 fight cards, but the next one might be the most massive of his career.

‘The General’ was very excited about this rematch and even expressed the same in an interview with the Sporting News. He said, “It’s my first time [competing in the US]. I’m very excited. I’m thankful that ONE Championship has given me this opportunity to fight in the main event and defend my title against such a great opponent in Superlek.”

The 27-year-old has 8 wins in ONE championship, while the 28-year-old Superlek has 14 wins and one loss. Both are trained in Muay Thai and both are preparing to the best of their abilities. The duo are absolute monsters and fans are excited to see the rematch again. On top of that, the Brit superstar has also sent an ominous threat to his opponent. He said that the 28-year-old would be in a ‘world of hurt’ on September 6th.

He mentioned how during the first fight, he was just a boy and now he is a man so he has adopted two new fighting strategies. However, he also mentioned how he was expecting the worst since the pair shared a near-identical arsenal with fight-ending power. Are you excited to see who wins? Tell us in the comments below.