“He's gonna get a sprawl” – Jonathan Haggerty confident he can counter Fabricio Andrade’s grappling if they fight in MMA

Two-sport ONE world champion Jonathan Haggerty is confident he can come into Fabricio Andrade’s wheelhouse and beat him for a second time.

The reigning ONE bantamweight Muay Thai and kickboxing world champion has been eyeing a third gold strap ever since he knocked out ‘Wonder Boy’ at ONE Fight Night 16 last year.

While ‘The General’ specializes in striking-exclusive matches, he’s been constantly teasing a move to mixed martial arts to achieve his goal.

In an interview with the South China Morning Post, Haggerty once again entertained the idea of crossing over to MMA.

Obviously, the biggest concern for Haggerty is how he’ll manage when the fight hits the ground.

While Andrade is a striker at hand, he is a well-rounded fighter with two submission victories to his name.

The uber-confident Haggerty, though, believes he has an ace up his sleeve.

The British dual champion said:

“I feel like he's gonna want to stand up and prove that he can try and out-bang me. So if he does then we’d fool him, but if he tries to take me down, then he's gonna get a sprawl.”

Watch the full interview here:

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Jonathan Haggerty says he grew up in an MMA gym

Unbeknownst to many, Jonathan Haggerty’s father owned an MMA gym in Orpington, England.

The 26-year-old has been around the sport since he was young and knows how to handle himself in the grappling department.

‘The General’ said in a previous interview with FirstSportz MMA:

“I’ve been training it off and on, for sure. You know, my dad's got an MMA gym. I've grown up around MMA fighters, I've grown up in an MMA gym. I've been doing little bits here and there. I'm no newbie to the MMA world. I have been training MMA. I know the basics, the fundamentals and yeah, hopefully, one day I get to put on a show for you guys in MMA.”

Meanwhile, Jonathan Haggerty’s possible MMA venture will have to be put on hold for now, as he is set to defend his bantamweight Muay Thai gold against Felipe Lobo at ONE Fight Night 19.

The full event will air live on US Primetime on February 16, free of charge for existing Prime Video subscribers in North America.