Jonathan Haggerty admits he’s still getting used to kickboxing rules: “I’ve actually thrown two elbows in training”

Jonathan Haggerty admits that old habits are quite hard to break.

For instance, 'The General's punishing elbows have been a huge part of his ascent to superstardom in recent years.

However, Haggerty won't be able to use one of his biggest weapons at ONE 171: Qatar, where he'll defend his bantamweight kickboxing world championship against the upset-minded Wei Rui on Feb. 20 at Lusail Sports Arena.

Clinching and throwing elbows, of course, are barred under kickboxing rules. Given that it has basically been part of his whole striking identity, Haggerty revealed that he's still getting used to not throwing his signature kill shot.

The British slugger shared in an appearance on Inside Fighting's YouTube channel:

"Obviously, everything worked to plan. It was perfect actually. And I liked it. So far, I haven’t thrown an elbow in training yet. Telling a lie, I’ve actually thrown two elbows in training and I’ve been punished for it. So I’ve never done it again. So it’s quite good to be fair."

While Jonathan Haggerty is best known for those signature tomahawk elbows he used to dethrone the mighty Sam-A Gaiyanghadao, his stellar punches and kicks don't get enough credit.

Quite frankly, it's his versatile striking that allowed him to seamlessly transition to kickboxing and strike gold by viciously knocking out Fabricio Andrade.

Visit watch.onefc.com for more details about ONE 171: Qatar.

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Jonathan Haggerty calls Wei Rui a worthy challenger

Wei Rui joined ONE Championship last year on the heels of a remarkable 20-fight winning streak.

'Demon Blade' proved all the hype is real when he dissected former bantamweight kickboxing king Hiroki Akimoto with ease to announce himself as the rightful no.1 contender.

Even Jonathan Haggerty is impressed by the Chinese striker and deems him a worthy adversary. 'The General' said in the same interview:

"He’s obviously a great, worthy opponent. He’s the number one in the division for a reason. He beat [Hiroki] Akimoto, close fight, very close fight. Obviously, my coach has been paying close attention to the fights that he’s had. We’ve been going through a great game plan and, obviously, we know he’s a southpaw."