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What was expected to be a five-round war of attrition between world-class strikers Jonathan Haggerty and Superlek Kiatmoo9 ended in an instant at ONE 168: Denver last year.
'The Kicking Machine' caught 'The General' with a smashing elbow heard around the world and became the undisputed bantamweight Muay Thai world champion in less than a round.
That loss, of course, still stings for Haggerty, who recently expressed his desire to run it back with the two-sport and two-weight champion sometime this year.
It appears Chatri Sityodtong agrees with the notion, as he praised the British star's work behind closed doors since that stunning setback.
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The ONE Chairman and CEO shared during the ONE 171: Qatar press conference:
"Of course, I would love to do a rematch between Haggerty and Superlek. I felt that Superlek prepared very well, and I think maybe Jonathan was a little bit too eager in the first fight to go for a finish, and I'm sure he went back to the drawing board and fixed some of the holes he had in his game."
The promotion's head honcho continued:
"But that's the thing, when you have the best of the best fighting each other, one split second, one millimeter of an error, and it's good night."
Watch the full ONE 171: Qatar presser in its entirety:
Jonathan Haggerty and Superlek set for epic battles to begin 2025
For now, Jonathan Haggerty and Superlek will be traversing separate paths and defending their respective world titles.
'The General' will put his bantamweight kickboxing world title on the line for the first time against Wei Rui on Feb. 20 in the first of two championship bouts at ONE 171: Qatar at Lusail Sports Arena.
A month later, Superlek will look to unify the bantamweight Muay Thai belts when he clashes with interim king Nabil Anane at ONE 172: Takeru vs Rodtang on March 23 at Saitama Super Arena.
Visit watch.onefc.com for more details on how to watch ONE 171 and ONE 172 in your country.
