“I’m Not Getting Paid Overtime” – Jonathan Haggerty Breaks Down His World Title-Winning Strategy Against Fabricio Andrade

Jonathan Haggerty joined rare company this past weekend by becoming a two-sport titleholder in ONE Championship, and he revealed that everything went according to plan in his highly anticipated showdown with Fabricio Andrade.

“The General” claimed the promotion’s vacant bantamweight kickboxing crown by knocking out Andrade in the second round of the ONE Fight Night 16 main event on Friday, November 3, living up to his promise to find a finish against the division’s MMA king inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.

Jonathan Haggerty was in high spirits

Following the win, Haggerty spoke with ONE pundit Mitch Chilson in the middle of the ring and broke down how he had prepared for “Wonder Boy’s” well-known striking prowess. “We knew he was a southpaw. I work well with southpaws, my training partner Liam Nolan is the the best southpaw in the world. I like to fight against southpaws,” he said. “A little bit of game plan went out the window because of the talk and the animosity around it. But I got the job done.” 

Originally slated to square off at ONE Fight Night 15 in September, the pair’s matchup was delayed for a month in order to give it the spotlight it deserved as a main event. In the lead-up to Friday’s show, the bad blood between Haggerty and Andrade grew more with each passing day, and that was no more evident than when they faced off center-ring at ONE Fight Night 15 to promote their intriguing battle.

“I see the kick wobbled him. I see his legs go. I just thought I’d jump on him. I was getting deja vu, I was thinking about the Nong-O fight,” he recalled.  “When I wobbled him, I just went full guns ablazing. He recovered a little bit, he was stepping back, getting distance. I thought I’d take my time, but then as I got back in, I caught him again, and I thought, ‘I gotta get him out of here, I’m not getting paid overtime. Let’s go.’”

With such hype and tension, it can be easy for a fighter to lose their cool. But Haggerty clearly knew what he was there to do, and he explained to everyone what was going through his mind when he spotted the finish while speaking to Chilson post-fight. But was his eye on a bigger prize? 

Haggerty made a lot of money

The thrilling KO win netted the 26-year-old a double bonus from ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong, amounting to a staggering US$100,000.Now sitting atop two sports in the world’s largest martial arts organization, Haggerty has a plethora of options for where to go next. 

Also Read: ONE Fight Night 16 Results: Jonathan Haggerty Becomes Two-Sport World Champion, Tye Ruotolo Claims Welterweight Submission Grappling Gold

He could choose to immediately defend his newly acquired kickboxing strap or return to his bread and butter of Muay Thai and try to cement his dominance there. Or the British striking star could make his long-hinted switch to MMA and go after a third belt at bantamweight – one that is, coincidentally, held by none other than Andrade.

Also Read: “I Want All the Gold” – Jonathan Haggerty Says Chance for Two-Sport Glory Was Too Good to Pass Up