Jonathan Haggerty maintains respect for Fabricio Andrade despite not liking him: “It’s a hard game”

Newly crowned two-sport ONE world champion Jonathan Haggerty may not have the most cordial of relationship with Fabricio Andrade, but the former said he respects the Brazilian as a fighter.

‘The General’ defeated ‘Wonder Boy’ in their all-champion super fight for the vacant ONE bantamweight kickboxing world title at ONE Fight Night 16 on Prime Video on November 3 in Bangkok.

26-year-old Haggerty, the reigning bantamweight Muay Thai king, knocked out his mixed martial arts counterpart Andrade in the second round of their headlining kickboxing clash to become the latest member of the elite crew of two-sport ONE world champions.

In a post-fight interview with the South China Morning Post, the British striker shared that while he does not see himself being chums with Fabricio Andrade any time soon, he maintains a certain level of respect for his rival.

Jonathan Haggerty said:

“I mean I respect anyone that gets in that ring. You know, it's a hard game. It's tough, it’s lonely, it’s very tough. You know, this was a mentally strong camp. Do I like him? No. I respect him for sure, all right.”

Check out what he had to say below:

Jonathan Haggerty was simply not to be denied in his push to become a two-sport world champion at ONE Fight Night 16.

He immediately put the pressure on Fabricio Andrade, eventually gaining a huge breakthrough when he connected on a head kick midway into the second frame.

Sensing he already had Andrade on the ropes, Jonathan Haggerty went for the finish, unleashing a barrage of strikes until he dropped his opponent at the 1:57 mark of the round. The contest was stopped thereafter.

Apart from claiming his second title from a different sport, the win also marked his third world title under ONE Championship. He once held the promotion’s flyweight Muay Thai belt before losing it in 2019.

Fabricio Andrade, for his part, remained as MMA world champion despite the loss but absorbed his first defeat in ONE in seven fights.

The replay of ONE Fight Night 16 is available anytime on demand for Amazon Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.