“I wasn’t surprised” – Felipe Lobo knew he was destined to fight Jonathan Haggerty for ONE Muay Thai gold

Felipe Lobo has had his next opponent in mind for some time at this point heading into ONE Fight Night 19.

On February 16, he will headline ONE’s return to the legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium when he takes on Jonathan Haggerty for the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world championship.

The two men shared a heated exchange after Haggerty’s last fight where he stopped Lobo’s teammate, Fabricio Andrade. However, this collision course goes back even further to ONE Fight Night 9, a night where both men secured huge victories.

With Haggerty winning the title on the same night that Lobo stopped Saemapetch Fairtex, the challenger told CountFilms TV that the ball was rolling from that point on:

“I was not too surprised [on getting the chance to fight Jonathan Haggerty] because after my fight against Saemapetch he called me, so that was in my mind, that I’m going to fight him for the title. So I wasn’t surprised.”

Watch the full interview below:

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Felipe Lobo has had a lot of time to think about this fight

Though he may have hoped for the fight to happen sooner after ONE Fight Night 9, Felipe Lobo has been patient in waiting for his shot.

Rather than going straight in against the champion, he had to watch from the corner as Haggerty secured a second world championship by stopping Andrade in November.

The two men are set to finally clash on February 16 where Lobo will become the first man to challenge ‘The General’ for his bantamweight Muay Thai title.

Haggerty is confident that his reign is only just beginning and that this is simply the first chapter in solidifying his reign but for Lobo, this an opportunity to change his life.

ONE Fight Night 19 will air live and free in U.S. primetime for North American viewers with an active Prime Video subscription.