“There Will Be a Big Difference in Power” – Fabricio Andrade Warns Jonathan Haggerty About the Danger of Facing Him

ONE Bantamweight MMA World Champion Fabricio Andrade aims to make history with a ton of confidence. Despite fighting under a different ruleset for the first time in years, he aims to overcome the challenge in front of him.

In the main event of ONE Fight Night 16 on Friday, November 3, ‘Wonder Boy’ will take on Muay Thai king Jonathan Haggerty for the vacant ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Championship inside the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. 

Fabricio Andrade thinks the kickboxing rule benefits him 

Both fighters will compete in a different sport for the first time in their tenures at the world’s largest martial arts organization. Moreover, the winner would emerge as the latest two-sport titleholder in the promotion. On paper, it appears Andrade enters the much-anticipated battle at a disadvantage. It emerges as a legitimate concern as he won’t be able to utilize any grappling. Moreover, Haggerty has dominated ONE’s Muay Thai ranks for some time. 

But the Brazilian star has an abundance of experience in striking, and he argues that it might be Haggerty who will have difficulty making adjustments for their kickboxing affair.“I think I’m more used to the rules of kickboxing. I haven’t fought kickboxing for a long time, but I train constantly. So, I believe I will have an advantage because of that,” Andrade said. “It’s going to be a very difficult fight for him. Haggerty has never done kickboxing, so he’s not used to the rules.

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“People say he has the advantage because I’m drastically changing sports from MMA to kickboxing, something nobody wants to do, but I think it’s going to be much more difficult for him.” With 40 wins under his belt in Muay Thai and kickboxing competition, ‘Wonder Boy’ claims that he’ll be more comfortable than his foe – who only has 24 professional fights overall – may not be that outlandish. And apart from his striking prowess, Andrade also believes he’ll also cause significant problems with his power.

A warning to Haggerty before the clash at ONE Fight Night 16

The 26-year-old references flyweight Muay Thai king Rodtang Jitmuangnon’s back-to-back wins over ‘The General’ – with one via technical knockout – as an example of the Englishman’s inability to handle heavy–handed action, and he says that he’ll be able to overwhelm him when they face off on November 3.

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“Haggerty was knocked out by Rodtang, and that defeat was in a division below. As we are a category above, there will be a big difference in power in the strikes,” Andrade said. “I believe that I have much more punching power than the guys in the lower division. So, Haggerty will really feel the power of my punches in this weight division.”