“Don’t rush in” - Jonathan Haggerty says he’ll apply the lessons he learned vs. Superlek in title defense with Wei Rui

ONE bantamweight kickboxing world champion Jonathan Haggerty is looking to exercise patience in his attack for his scheduled title defense this week. It is something he said he came to realize following the tough loss he absorbed in his last fight.

'The General' defends the bantamweight kickboxing gold in the headlining contest at ONE 171: Qatar on Feb. 20 at the Lusail Sports Arena in Lusail. He is to take on the challenge presented by the division's No. 1 contender Wei Rui of China.

The match also comes five months after Haggerty suffered a 49-second knockout defeat at the hands of Thai superstar Superlek Kiatmoo9, that also saw him lose the bantamweight Muay Thai world title he previously concurrently held.

In an interview with combat sports journalist Nick Atkin of the Bangkok Post, Jonathan Haggerty shared his mindset heading into ONE 171, including how the loss to Superlek figured in the game plan they have.

The 28-year-old British champion said:

"Either or. I’m always in there to get a knockout, get a finish, and put on a good show. But I’ve learned my lesson from the last fight -- don’t rush in, pick your shots, and when you see it, go for it."

Watch the interview below:

At ONE 171, Jonathan Haggerty will defend the world title he claimed in November 2023 for the first time. He became kickboxing king by knocking out bantamweight MMA titleholder Fabricio Andrade in an all-champion clash.

Looking to make it a short reign for him is Wei, winner of his last 21 matches, including his ONE debut in May last year where he defeated former kickboxing world champion Hiroki Akimoto of Japan.

For more information on ONE 171: Qatar, check out onefc.com.

Jonathan Haggerty tries not to lose back-to-back matches at ONE 171

In trying to retain the ONE bantamweight kickboxing world title, Jonathan Haggerty tries to avoid losing a second straight fight.

The Orpington, England native underscored it in an interview with ONE Championship, saying:

"Yeah, I feel there's a lot of pressure on this fight, if I'm totally honest, keeping this kickboxing belt after losing the Muay Thai belt. We don't want two losses in a row. That's one thing I don't want. So, I'm here to make it all right, get back to winning ways, and defending the kickboxing belt."

Since coming on board ONE Championship in 2019, Haggerty lost two matches in a row only once. It was dealt to him by Rodtang Jitmuangnon, who took the flyweight Muay Thai world title from him in August 2019, before losing once again in their rematch in January 2020.