ONE Championship superstar Jonathan Haggerty got a little more than he expected in his latest promotional outing, but he retained the ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title, nonetheless.

‘The General’ met the challenge of Felipe Lobo head on this past Friday, February 16, at ONE Fight Night 19. And though the Brazilian star proved to be a worthy opponent – even sending the World Champion to the canvas early on – Haggerty still managed to add another impressive knockout victory to his slate in the third round.

Jonathan Haggerty’s disappointment despite a convincing win

Speaking to ONE Championship after the fight, the British striker admitted that while he was shocked by the knockdown, his confidence wasn’t shaken.“There was no doubt he caught me with a big shot. I wasn’t really hurt that bad. I just thought I’d take a little rest and take a seat. I knew I’d get him back. There isn’t any quit in me. There never is, and I showed that tonight,” he said.

With back-to-back finishes earning him gold in bantamweight Muay Thai and kickboxing last year, ‘The General’ has undoubtedly put his stamp on the weight bracket. So, seeing him struggling for even a moment inside the ring on Friday evening was uncommon.
Despite the convincing win, Haggerty was his own worst critic, and he shared his disappointment in his showing.

He further added, “If I’m totally honest, I’m not really happy with that performance. But the main thing is we got it done. I’m used to just being in and out, bouncing around, hitting and not getting hit. But a lot of people said to me, ‘It can’t always be your way.’ And I just showed tonight that I’ve got heart,”

“I wouldn’t say it’s enjoyable fighting like that. But I love it. I do love it. I can’t say I’m happy to do it again any time soon. But it is what it is, and I’m happy to get a performance bonus and keep the belt,” Haggerty said at the near end of the conversation. His Rivalry with Lobo was a good one but it ended on good terms.

Haggerty and Lobo shared a heartwarming moment

Following their three-round barnburner, Haggerty and Lobo shared a moment in the middle of the ONE Championship ring. They had done so before last November when “The General” called the South American striker out following his win over Fabricio Andrade, resulting in a tense square-off.

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This time around, however, they were calm, respectful, and grateful for the entertaining war they had just put on. Haggerty discussed their conversation in his post-fight interview, saying: “After the fight, I told him that it’s just business. You’ve got to do what you got to do before the fight to build it up and psyche yourself up.”

“At the end of the day, we’re both warriors. I respect anyone who gets in there with me, especially if they put on a performance like he did and stand in the middle of the ring and have a shootout. There’s respect there, and I wish him all the best,” said Haggerty. In successfully defending his belt, the target on the British brawler’s back now will only get bigger.

As the ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing and Muay Thai World Champion, Haggerty has many fighters looking to face him. He knows this and said he’s willing to face anyone once he has recovered from Friday’s battle. “I’m happy to fight anyone, but, at this moment in time, it’s back to the drawing board. Forget everyone, I’m the champ-champ. They can all wait in line and discuss it amongst themselves. I’m going to have a little bit of a rest, recoup, and elevate,” Haggerty said.

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