ONE on Prime Video 4: Jonathan Haggerty edges out Vladimir Kuzmin by majority decision

‘The General’ Jonathan Haggerty made his long-awaited return to the Circle at ONE on Prime Video 4 on Friday night.

Stepping up to the bantamweight division, the former flyweight Muay Thai world titleholder met Russian striker Vladimir Kuzmin. ‘The General’ still had a bit of trouble on the scale going into Friday’s bout, but nevertheless, the two Muay Thai warriors stepped into the Circle and delivered a highly entertaining scrap.

Kuzmin came out in the opening round and immediately put the pressure on Haggerty, never letting up through the first round. As a result, ‘The General’ struggled to get any offense going. Haggerty landed some solid calf kicks throughout the first three minutes.

Jonathan Haggerty didn’t appear to lose any speed in his move to bantamweight, but Kuzmin was able to match his intensity. The two fighters began to open up a bit in the second with both landing some solid combinations, though Haggerty got the better of the exchanges. Haggerty was able to control the round and dictate the pace with his footwork and kicking game.

Haggerty opened the third with some solid high kicks as Kuzmin attempted to walk ‘The General’ down and push him to the fence. With the fight potentially 1-1, both fighters pushed the pace, and exchanged combinations through the final bell. After three highly competitive rounds, we went to the judge's scorecards who delivered a majority decision victory for Jonathan Haggerty.

Official Result: Jonathan Haggerty defeated Vladimir Kuzmin via majority decision.

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Jonathan Haggerty is ready for all contenders in his new home at bantamweight

Following his big win over Vladimir Kuzmin at ONE on Prime Video 4, Jonathan Haggerty was complimentary of his opponent and shared his appreciation for the fans of ONE Championship.

“You know it was a tough fight. It could have gone either way. Hats off to Vladimir. What a great opponent. Maybe one of the strongest opponents.”

He continued:

"To be in this organization is a blessing. Thank you everyone for just, everything really. I am overwhelmed. I appreciate everyone for you coming out to support us athletes. Thank you for coming out and I hope I put on a show for you guys. The next one will be better, I promise.”

As far as what comes next, ‘The General’ says that he is ready for every top contender in the bantamweight division:

“I told myself I’m going to come out here and start naming names, but I’ve been in this game a long time. I have been training for 16 years fighting the best fighters in the world and I’m ready for number one, number two, number three. Let’s go.”