ONE bantamweight kickboxing world champion Jonathan Haggerty made his debut in the 145-pound division against Vladimir Kuzmin in November 2022 after an impressive three-year run in the 135-pound flyweight Muay Thai division.
Initially booked to be a bantamweight Muay Thai bout, it was changed to a catchweight (147.9 pounds) fight as 'The General' weighed over the 145-pound limit. Despite this, Kuzmin did not keep his eye off the ball and attempted to overwhelm Haggerty in the opening round.
Haggerty gave himself some much-needed separation from the Russian on the scorecards thanks to an action-packed second round. With momentum firmly on his side, the 28-year-old capitalized on it in the third round to win via majority decision.
Watch the entire fight below, which ONE shared on YouTube:
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Haggerty's next foray was a shocking first-round dethronement of then-reigning ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion Nong-O Hama in April 2023. He added the then-vacant bantamweight kickboxing crown to his collection in November that same year.
After dropping the 145-pound Muay Thai gold in a 49-second knockout to ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion Superlek Kiatmoo9 last September, Haggerty produced his best all-around performance yet this past February in defense of the bantamweight kickboxing throne versus Wei Rui.
Jonathan Haggerty open to dream matchup with Nabil Anane
ONE interim bantamweight Muay Thai world champion Nabil Anane is on a seven-fight winning streak, and Jonathan Haggerty would love to end it.
Speaking recently with the South China Morning Post, the Knowlesy Academy star pupil shared:
"Obviously, he's a great, skilled fighter, very tall, and he's got the power to go with it. Maybe someone with a bit of movement [could beat him]. Yeah, it'll be a fight I'd love to have and big respect to him. He's a lovely champion, a lovely fighter."
Watch the entire interview below: