"If you want to be the best, you got to beat the best"- Jonathan Haggerty looks back at his rivalry with Rodtang

ONE double-world champion, Jonathan Haggerty, recently did a tell-all interview this week about how his long-standing rivalry with Rodtang first began.

The UK superstar is currently on a collision course to defend his ONE bantamweight Muay Thai crown against ONE flyweight kickboxing kingpin Superlek Kiatmoo9 at ONE 168: Denver.

Before entering his toughest bout to date, Haggerty has taken a trip down memory lane to recall some of the pivotal fights he's had since becoming a double world champion.

Turning to his rivalry with Rodtang, 'The General' said on Retrospect:

"After the Sam-A fight, emotions were high. Training was rushing, I decided to call out the man everyone was scared of, the man who was beating everyone, and that was Rodtang.

Haggerty continued to add:

"And I tell myself, going into this sport, if you want to be the best, you got to beat the best. I called out Rodtang. I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. And then here we go."

Watch the full video with Jonathan Haggerty on Retrospect below:

As Jonathan Haggerty prepares for his bantamweight clash against Superlek, so will 'The Iron Man' the following month at ONE 169: Atlanta. Rodtang is booked to rematch and defend his flyweight crown against American slugger Jacob Smith on US ground.

Tickets for ONE 168: Denver and ONE 169: Atlanta are available via Ticketmaster.

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Anatoly Malykhin believes that Jonathan Haggerty's speed could be his saving grace against Superlek

Many fans and athletes, including three-division world champion Anatoly Malykhin, are expected to tune in to Jonathan Haggerty's next world title defense against striking legend Superlek Kiatmoo9.

Since both men are equally matched in terms of overall skill and talent, it's difficult to pick out a clear winner. As Malykhin previously told ONE, Haggerty and Superlek have so much to bring to the table that it's just going to be a toss-up from that point on.

However, if you had to pick out some of the advantages that each man has in their corner, it's a lot easier to shine light on some flaws. About Haggerty, the Russian superstar said:

"Superlek's advantage will be elbow strikes and size. Haggerty's advantage is his speed and technique."