“I took it hard on myself” - Jonathan Haggerty admits he was devastated after he lost Muay Thai gold to Superlek

Jonathan Haggerty was a dejected man when he lost his ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title to Superlek Kiatmoo9 in Denver, but he's determined not to let that defeat get in the way of his next challenge.

The reigning ONE bantamweight kickboxing world champion will defend his last remaining crown against Wei Rui in the co-main event of ONE 171: Qatar on Thursday at Lusail Sports Arena.

In an interview with Nick Atkin for the Bangkok Post, Haggerty admitted that he was gutted when he lost his bantamweight Muay Thai strap to Superlek in September 2024.

That same loss, though, could become Haggerty's catalyst when he takes on Wei in Qatar for his next high-profile match in ONE Championship.

Jonathan Haggerty said:

"I was gutted for the first week. I feel like, the first time I lost a belt, I took it hard on myself, I put a lot of pressure on myself, but obviously, I knew I could get it back and I did."

Haggerty has one of the most stellar careers in ONE Championship, with multiple world title reigns across two divisions.

'The General' became the ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion in his second fight for the promotion when he dethroned the legendary Sam-A Gaiyanghadao in May 2019.

His reign, however, was cut short when he dropped the strap to Rodtang Jitmuangnon in August 2019 in a thrilling barnburner.

After suffering from health scares trying to make the 135-pound flyweight limit, Haggerty moved up a division and reached further heights.

Haggerty felled another legend when he dethroned Thai icon Nong-O Hama for the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title in April 2023.

Just seven months after his upset win over Nong-O, Haggerty claimed the vacant ONE bantamweight kickboxing world title when he stopped the division's MMA king Fabricio Andrade.

ONE 171 will be streamed live at watch.onefc.com.

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A hungry Jonathan Haggerty determined to start his redemption arc in Qatar

Jonathan Haggerty would want nothing more than to leave Qatar with the ONE bantamweight kickboxing world title safely tucked in his luggage.

In the same interview with the Bangkok Post, Haggerty said he's determined to defend his throne and start his redemption arc at the expense of Wei Rui at ONE 171.

"I feel amazing. Obviously, it's up to me now to defend this belt and I wouldn't say a lot of weight on my shoulders, but I'm really craving this win. I've never craved a win so much. I need to get back in the winning column, so I'm excited to get in there [and] put on a show for the fans in Qatar and everyone around the world."

Watch Jonathan Haggerty's entire interview below: