“I’m staying ready” - Jonathan Haggerty eyeing a quick turnaround to defend his kickboxing gold next

Jonathan Haggerty is "staying ready" for his return to ONE Championship.

At ONE 168, Haggerty had plans to defend his bantamweight Muay Thai world title and extend his legacy with a win against Superlek. Unfortunately for him, 'The Kicking Machine' showcased why he's one of the best strikers on the planet, securing a 49-second knockout with a brutal elbow.

Most fans thought Haggerty would endure an extended layoff, at least by his standards, to recover from the damage. Instead, the ONE bantamweight kickboxing world champion is already planning his return, which he explained by saying this during an interview on the Sky Sports MMA Club Podcast:

"I think the next stage, I’m going to defend the kickboxing belt. I want to defend that, I don’t want to keep the division on hold. I’m staying ready."

Before fighting Superlek, Jonathan Haggerty was riding one of the best three-fight streaks in the promotion. Starting in April 2023, The UK superstar defeated Nong-O (Muay Thai), Fabricio Andrade (kickboxing), and Felipe Lobo (Muay Thai).

Haggerty vs Superlek headlined ONE 168 inside the Ball Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The entire action-packed event can be rewatched by North American and Canadian viewers with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.

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Who should Jonathan Haggerty defend kickboxing title against?

Two potential opponents for Jonathan Haggerty's first ONE bantamweight kickboxing world title defense are Wei Rui and Ilias Ennahachi.

In May, Wei made his ONE Championship debut against former bantamweight kickboxing king Hiroki Akimoto. The Chinese striker showcased his world-championship potential by battling Akimoto for five rounds before securing a unanimous decision win.

Rui vs Akimoto was considered controversial because ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong claimed the latter deserved the win.

Meanwhile, Ennahachi faced the same opponent, Akimoto, when he moved up to the bantamweight division. The former 3x ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion quickly put the division on notice by taking out Akimoto by unanimous decision in convincing fashion.

ONE Championship will likely decide between Rui or Ennahachi to determine who faces Haggerty. There's also a possibility that the promotional will give 'The General' move time to recover by matching up Rui and Ennahachi for a number one contender bout.