One of the biggest fights of the year is the clash between Superlek Kiatmoo9 and Jonathan Haggerty at ONE 168: Denver on U.S. primetime on Friday, September 6 in Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. While there is an intense rivalry between the pair, the Thai fighter holds massive respect for the two-sport champion. He recently sat down for a chat with ONE Championship and shared his honest opinion on Haggerty. Superlek said, “[Haggerty has] a lot of strengths, barely any weaknesses. He’s fast, has excellent footwork, and is a technical fighter with knockout power. He has a lot of tricks up his sleeves. He’s in his prime with lots of confidence. I wouldn’t say there are any weaknesses for him. ” 

But he also issued a warning to his opponent and said, “I’d like to win by knockout. Haggerty has never reached the fourth round when defending his belt, but I have. It doesn’t matter if it’s cut short or goes the distance. I’ll find the opening to get the finish.” The pair previously met in the past and Superlek won the fight via TKO because of a doctor’s stoppage. But what exactly happened in the fight? Let us find out. 

A closer look at the first clash between Superlek and Jonathan Haggerty 

27-year-old Jonathan Haggerty is currently one of the biggest names in the sport. A two-sport world champion, Haggerty is truly a force to be reckoned with in the striking arts. However, his next opponent, Superlek, currently holds the upper hand before their clash in Denver. The pair previously fought each other outside the promotion in 2018 at YOKKAO 31 & 32. Haggerty was fairly new in his fighting career and had only about 13 fights under his belt at the time. The fight ended in an anticlimactic fashion.

Haggerty suffered a cut above his eye, which forced the referee to stop the fight. The match was then awarded to Superlek after the Brit was declared unfit to carry on. However, a lot has changed since ‘The General’ lost his fight against the Thai superstar. The 27-year-old is the reigning and undisputed ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai and Kickboxing World Champion. He will be defending his Muay Thai strap against his old rival. The two-sport champion is all fired up for his clash and is leaving no stone unturned in his preparation. 

‘The General’ had already made it clear that he was not prepared to take on Superlek on their last outing. However, this time round, things are very different and Haggerty is confident of beating the ONE flyweight kickboxing king. 

Jonathan Haggerty is looking to level the score against Superlek at ONE 168

Two-sport World Champion Jonathan Haggerty is one of those fighters who is known for his ridiculous work ethic. His training camps are no less than intense and ‘The General’ can be seen sharpening his skills before his title defense. Haggerty seems to be a man on a mission and is desperate to avenge his previous loss. While he does respect his next opponent and considers him one of the greatest, Haggerty is in no mood to give away his title. Both fighters were recently engaged in an exciting face-off at ONE Friday Fights 72, and the fans can expect nothing short of fireworks when they meet on September 6. 

‘The General’ in a recent video on his YouTube channel broke down his opponent and pointed out his weakness. He said, “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.” Superlek is currently on a 10-fight winning streak and will definitely prove to be one of the hardest battles for Haggerty. The fans are eagerly waiting for the fight to happen and have already started making their predictions. 

Do you think Jonathan Haggerty can avenge his previous loss this time around? Let us know about it in the comments below.