“I had to find myself” - Jonathan Haggerty recalls how he bounced back after rough opening round vs gutsy Wei Rui 

Jonathan Haggerty admittedly had to remind himself that he was one of the best strikers in the world in his title defense versus Wei Rui.

Things went sideways for the reigning bantamweight kickboxing world champion early on in his co-main event slugfest with China's best striker at ONE 171: Qatar at Lusail Sports Arena last week.

It appeared that 'Demon Blade' had all the momentum after getting the better of their striking exchanges in round 1.

'The General' was visibly a step slower and was playing into Wei's game plan.

After composing himself, Haggerty was able to dig deep and use his earlier come-from-behind win over Felipe Lobo as inspiration to claw back in the next four rounds.

The British striker shared during the ONE 171: Qatar post-event press conference:

"The first round, like Chatri said, it was a bit rocky. I had to find myself. It reminded me a little bit of the Lobo fight. I needed that little bit of a punch to the face to get myself going."

Jonathan Haggerty finished strong and retained his 26 pounds of gold via unanimous decision. He added:

"I enjoyed it in there. Strategic-wise, we stuck to the game plan, and I was listening to my little brother in the corner as well, he was firing some good things at me, so I was listening to that as well. So I'm happy with how it went, and I can't wait to get back in there."

The full replay of ONE 171: Qatar is available via watch.onefc.com.

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Jonathan Haggerty says he couldn't have done it without longtime coach Christian Knowles

Before leaving the Circle in his post-fight interview with Mitch Chilson, Jonathan Haggerty made sure to give credit where it was due.

'The General' commended the man with the plan, his coach, and mentor Christian Knowles for guiding him to unprecedented heights.

"One more thing, I promised my coach Christian Knowles when we defend this title, the effort he goes through to make me the best that I possibly am is unrecognizable. Nobody sees the way he leaves his family and everything. Even my dad, my brother, my mum, everybody that’s come to support, thank you. This belt is for you Chris. Here you go, brother."

Watch the full ONE 171 post-event press conference: