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British Muay Thai superstar Jonathan Haggerty realized a lot of success in ONE's flyweight division, even holding the belt for a period of time. 'The General' is now seeking even more achievements in the Muay Thai bantamweight division.
Haggerty is slated to take on Russian striker Vladimir Kuzmin in his bantamweight debut. His opponent is less experienced inside the ONE circle, but he'll serve as a solid litmus test for the former flyweight Muay Thai champ.
In an interview with SCMP MMA, Haggerty spoke about how he's feeling heading into his first fight in a new weight class:
"At the start, it kicked off quite well. I beat Mongkolpetch, and I thought I was next in line for the title. I got a 50k bonus and I was buzzing. And then everything just went downhill from there, weight-wise. I couldn’t make weight. It is what it is. Health is first. So I moved up to bantamweight, and who knows? It might be the new 'General'."
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Health concerns were the driving force behind the 25-year-old's decision to change weight classes after he was forced to withdraw from two bouts earlier in 2022.
Check out Jonathan Haggerty's full interview with SCMP MMA below:
Regarding his upcoming opponent, Jonathan Haggerty had this to say:
“Vladimir is a very good opponent. He’s a lot tricky and has a similar style to me. He’s not always in one place at a time. I can’t just stand there and give him some shots. Maybe I might push forward.”
Jonathan Haggerty "definitely" planning to move to MMA
'The General' has set very high career goals for himself, including one day making a transition over to MMA. He told SCMP MMA:
“Yeah, a hundred percent. Definitely. We’d have to wait and see. Like I said, I don’t want to call anyone out. One by one, I’ll tick them off. Who knows?”
Inserting Haggerty into ONE's already-stacked bantamweight division would draw tons of attention. Still only 25 years of age, the former flyweight Muay Thai champ has some time to develop his skills before making the move.
Make sure to watch Jonathan Haggerty make his bantamweight Muay Thai debut against Vladimir Kuzmin at ONE on Prime Video 4 on November 18 (US primetime), live from the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
Watch the British superstar's full interview with The MMA Superfan below:
