Two-division king Jonathan Haggerty is hyping himself up before he goes into battle at the main event of ONE 168: Denver on U.S. primetime on Friday, September 6. “Going to have a bulletproof mindset all the time. Nobody can beat you. You’ll be fine,” were the words that he kept telling himself as he trained for an epic rematch with Superlek Kiatmoo9. He had already fought against “The Kicking Machine” before in 2018 and knows how amazing his opponent is.

He is putting his ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Championship on the line when they square off inside Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. ‘The General’ lost his first fight against ‘The Kicking Machine’ due to a doctor’s stoppage for injury. However, now it seems like he wants to decide his fate with a new strategy, so let’s take a look!

The first meeting of Jonathan Haggerty and Superlek

‘The Kicking Machine’ is truly a world-class talent, and it has already been acknowledged by Haggerty more than once. During an appearance with Sports Illustrated, he decided to repeat the same. He said, “Superlek is undoubtedly one of the best fighters in the world.” Haggerty is going into this fight with a six-fight winning streak and finishes against Nong-O Hama, Fabricio Andrade, and Felipe Lobo. Meanwhile, Superlek is entering this fight with 10-0 under ONE championship banner.

When they had fought for the first time in 2018, the bout had ended because of a medical emergency. Haggerty got a cut above his eyelid, which the doctor decided was too damaged for him to continue. As such, the match was prematurely stopped with the win being awarded to the Thai star. However, this time, even Haggerty’s younger brother, Freddie, thinks that his elder brother is ready.

He is very well aware of the dangerous fighting style that ‘The Kicking Machine’ possesses. The younger Haggerty mentioned how Superlek has an intense right elbow and right kick. However, he said in an interview with ONE that it won’t faze his brother, saying: “I don’t think Jon will be too worried, though. He’s working on a great game plan to stop these kicks and elbows and have counters for everything. I think he’s going to smash it.”

Upcoming fight of the megastars at ONE 168

Both the fighters are looking for a clean finish this time that will prove who is the best P4P fighter. The previous fight was quite a disappointment, but this time they do not have any room for mistakes. Haggerty has an impressive run at ONE that saw him raise both the bantamweight Muay Thai and kickboxing crowns.

Since their initial meeting in 2018, a lot has changed for both fighters. ‘The General’ is more than ready to take over his opponent again, as he stated in his YouTube video as well. “When we last fought, I was a boy. I’m a man now,” Haggerty told The Sporting News. 

The tickets are already available for the match at Ticketmaster, and fans are anticipating a mega fight. ONE 168 will be held at the ball arena in Denver, Colorado. So fasten your seatbelts and get ready for a rematch.