“I’m very thankful for that” - Jonathan Haggerty says he was glad referee stopped the fight after Superlek elbow

Reigning ONE bantamweight kickboxing world champion and former bantamweight Muay Thai king 'The General' Jonathan Haggerty is thankful that his fight against 'The Kicking Machine' Superlek Kiatmoo9 was stopped at the right time, despite lasting only 49 seconds in his latest meeting with the Thai dynamo.

Haggerty ran into a counter right elbow from hell against Superlek in the ONE 168: Denver showdown last September and was instantly separated from his senses. The 27-year-old Team Underground representative failed to beat the 10-count and lost his bantamweight Muay Thai gold to his Thai counterpart.

After taking some time to process the defeat, Haggerty went on the Sky Sports MMA Club podcast and gave props to the referee for making the right call and halting the contest when it mattered.

'The General' said:

"I was thinking, ‘have I got hit’? I think I made the count, but the referee must have seen me and thought he has a job to look after us and I’m very thankful for that as well. He must have seen that I was not in the right place so he just waved it off, and that was it."

Needless to say, Haggerty is still in good spirits and full of confidence despite the setback, and he vows to return with a vengeance as soon as possible.

Jonathan Haggerty on what he learned from latest loss to Superlek: "Just take your time"

It wasn't a total loss for 'The General' Jonathan Haggerty in his 49-second KO defeat to 'The Kicking Machine' Superlek Kiatmoo9 at ONE 168: Denver.

The 27-year-old says he learned a valuable lesson from the experience that he will carry into his career moving forward.

'The General' said:

"Not to rush in and be aware of the elbows. Nah, just take your time, don’t let the moment get to you. Don’t get too eager to follow the game plan. That’s it."

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates on Jonathan Haggerty's next fight.