Jonathan Haggerty happy to inspire UK fans after epic KO of Nong-O Hama

Aside from winning it to further advance his fighting career, Jonathan Haggerty hopes his recent conquest of the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title will be a watershed moment for the sport in the United Kingdom.

The 26-year-old British striker scored one of the biggest victories of his career when he put an end to the impressive reign of erstwhile champion Nong-O Hama at ONE Fight Night 9 on April 21 in Bangkok.

Jonathan Haggerty exerted his will against Nong-O on his way to winning by knockout inside the first round. The result sent fight fans into utter disbelief considering how the Thai superstar was dominant in his seven previous successful title defenses.

In the post-event interview, ‘The General’ said that he was happy to win it for the Union Jack. He is hoping that the victory will inspire young British fighters to take up Muay Thai or other combat sports and, like him, succeed in doing so.

The Orpington, England, native said:

“UK, stand up. Let’s go. I feel like I put Muay Thai on the UK map now. I hope it encourages a lot of people from the UK, the younger generations coming up, to dream big. I was just a young kid and just having a dream, and I chased my goals and succeeded. If you want to do something, don’t hold back. Just go do it. That’s for the young generations out there, go and smash it.”

Since debuting in ONE in 2019, Jonathan Haggerty has been a solid representative for the UK. Prior to winning the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title, he also held the strap for the flyweight division of the sport and got the better of some of the top fighters in the game.