Jonathan Haggerty says Nong-O deserves chance at a rematch: “I got to give my respect to him”

ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion Jonathan Haggerty is open to all comers for his championship belt, including the man he dethroned for it earlier this year in Nong-O Hama.

‘The General’ seized the bantamweight gold by knocking out Nong-O in the opening round of their title clash in April. It marked his return to world champion status, having previously held the flyweight Muay Thai gold.

In an interview with the South China Morning Post, Jonathan Haggerty, 26, shared that he is open to a title rematch with the Thai superstar, believing the latter deserves it for being a longtime champion in the division. But he was quick to say that he is also keen on taking on the other contenders.

The Knowles Academy standout said:

“Yeah, I’m up for it [title defense versus the winner of the Felipe Lobo and Saemapetch Fairtex fight in December]. But I feel like Nong-O deserves it. I got to give my respect to him, I feel like he deserves a rematch for sure, a champion for a long time and yeah, just anyone really but yeah Nong-O deserves it the most.”

Check out what he had to say below:

While he surveys the field in the Muay Thai lane, Jonathan Haggerty is also busy preparing for his scheduled fight on November 3 at ONE Fight Night 16 on Prime Video in Bangkok, where he will vie for the vacant ONE bantamweight kickboxing world title.

He is going up against the division’s mixed martial arts king Fabricio Andrade in the all-champion clash that will take place at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium and will air live in U.S. primetime, free of charge for existing Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.

Jonathan Haggerty is seeking to become a two-sport ONE world champion with a win as well as a third world title.

His opponent, Fabricio Andrade, for his part, is also gunning for a second world title from a different sport. He is coming off a successful bid for the vacant ONE bantamweight MMA world title back in February, where he stopped by technical knockout former champion John Lineker.

For ONE Fight Night 16, ‘Wonder Boy’ is going back to kickboxing, where he competed in and had success before joining the promotion in 2020.