Fabricio Andrade expects Jonathan Haggerty to come packing ‘a lot of heavy punches’

ONE bantamweight mixed martial arts world champion Fabricio Andrade is expecting upcoming opponent Jonathan Haggerty to bring the heat with a lot of heavy punches when they plunge into action later this week.

‘Wonder Boy’ will collide with his Muay Thai counterpart Haggerty in the top-billing contest at ONE Fight Night 16 on Prime Video on November 3 in Bangkok. They will vie for the vacant ONE kickboxing world title in an all-champion showdown at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.

Speaking to MMA News, the 26-Brazilian champion broke down the strategy that ‘The General’ will likely be employing come fight night against him. He said:

“For Haggerty, it’s hard to say the style he will bring. But I know he will come in with a lot of heavy punches because he can’t use elbows. He doesn’t throw much kicks, but maybe he would change things a bit, just for this fight.”

Watch the interview below:

But regardless of the look he'll be presented with, Fabricio Andrade said he is ready to take it on in his push to become a two-sport ONE world champion.

He is coming off a successful conquest of the vacant ONE bantamweight MMA world title in February, when he stopped by technical knockout in the fourth round former divisional king John Lineker.

Fabricio Andrade is returning to kickboxing at ONE Fight Night 16 but is confident he still has the inherent skills to succeed in it. Prior to joining ONE in 2020, Fabricio Andrade had extensive experience fighting in the striking art and had considerable success both in Brazil and abroad.

Jonathan Haggerty, for his part, is also fresh from ascending to the top of the bantamweight Muay Thai division after knocking out longtime world champion Nong-O Hama in the opening round of their title clash in April.

Like Andrade, the 26-year-old Knowles Academy standout has his eyes on becoming a two-sport ONE world champion while also winning a third world title, having held the flyweight Muay Thai gold at one point.

ONE Fight Night 16 will air live in U.S. primetime, free of charge for existing Prime Video subscribers in North America.