Jonathan Haggerty compares training Muay Thai to kickboxing: “I need to be a lot lighter on my feet”

After years of dominating in the art of eight limbs, Jonathan Haggerty will attempt to claim his first kickboxing world title on Friday night.

Returning to the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, ‘The General’ will look to add a second ONE world title to his collection when he meets fellow champion Fabricio Andrade for the vacant ONE bantamweight kickboxing world championship.

Sitting down with the promotion ahead of their highly anticipated superfight, Jonathan Haggerty spoke about the differences in training for a kickboxing clash compared to a Muay Thai fight.

“So training for kickboxing is a lot different," Haggerty said. "I feel like I need to be a lot lighter on my feet and have a lot more combinations. Just the main thing I really must avoid is throwing elbows and clinching him up. I'm enjoying it. I'm enjoying the fitness, which is a lot different if I'm honest, You've got to keep on your toes a lot more and a lot more moving about, which I'm used to really. So it's all good."

Jonathan Haggerty added:

“My opponent has been training me for the last five years and he's been trained in all different skill sets on the floor, the middle, and up top. So for me, I've been training strictly all my life. So that’s going to play a big part in this fight and I'm excited to fight him.”

Capturing ONE Championship gold in both the flyweight and bantamweight Muay Thai divisions, ‘The General’ will step out of his comfort zone in hopes of becoming a two-sport world titleholder.

It will be interesting to see if Jonathan Haggerty can find the same success in eight-ounce gloves that he did in four-ounce ones. Or could the precision and power of bantamweight MMA world champion Fabricio Andrade be too much for the British sensation to overcome?

Amazon Prime Video subscribers in North America can catch all the action at ONE Fight Night 16: Haggerty vs. Andrade on Prime Video live in U.S. primetime on November 3.