“I don’t think it’s a great idea” - Jonathan Haggerty worried Superlek won’t get acclimated to Denver’s altitude in time for ONE 168

Jonathan Haggerty believes Superlek Kiatmoo9 will fall victim to Colorado's thin air and high elevation once they square off in the main event of ONE 168: Denver.

The two-sport king will defend his ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title against Superlek on September 6 at Ball Arena.

Superlek has been wrapping up his training camp in Thailand, but Haggerty believes the ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion won't have enough time to get acclimated to Denver's altitude.

In an interview with the South China Morning Post, Haggerty admitted that Superlek's decision to fly to Colorado just before fight week won't be a good idea especially if he's heading into an all-important world title match.

Jonathan Haggerty added that he even found it difficult to sustain his normal training pace when he arrived in the city over a week ago.

"I don't know. I don't think it's a great idea. I got out here, the first day I went out here with Chris [Christian Knowles], we hit the pads, and the first round, we touched gloves, and I did 20 kicks each side, and then after that, I looked at him, I went pale white. I went, this ain't good. We need to climatize properly," said Haggerty, who also holds the ONE bantamweight kickboxing world title.

Haggerty has been acclimating to Denver's altitude for over a week now and seems to have gotten the hang of training at an elevation of 1,609 meters above sea level.

Riding an impressive six-fight winning streak, including three straight knockouts, Haggerty wants nothing more than to stop Superlek and retain his Muay Thai throne in Denver.

Tickets for ONE 168 are available at Ticketmaster.

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Jonathan Haggerty says he's settled quite nicely in Denver's climate

Jonathan Haggerty's decision to fly to Denver earlier than anyone else on the ONE 168 card might prove dividends for the double-champion.

'The General' said in the same interview with the South China Morning Post that he's properly acclimated to the city's elevation more than a week before he defends his Muay Thai throne against Superlek on September 6.

He said:

"Yeah, we're ready now. We're all settled in. We've been here for three and half weeks, four weeks. We're acclimatized. If we're not ready now, we'll never be ready. So we're feeling confident. I say we, me and [coach] Chris [Knowles], we put in 100% in this fight camp, time and effort. So that's why I'm saying we're ready."

Watch Haggerty's entire interview below: