“It could be the new Haggerty” - Jonathan Haggerty putting the bantamweight division on notice with his arrival

Jonathan Haggerty will make his long-awaited return to ONE Championship at ONE on Prime 4 after being forced to pull out of back-to-back fights due to non-COVID-related illnesses. Meeting him inside the circle will be Russian striker Vladimir Kuzmin.

Originally scheduled to compete in the ONE flyweight Muay Thai world grand prix that kicked off at ONE 157 in May, ‘The General’ was forced to withdraw due to an undisclosed illness. Haggerty was given a new lease when he was scheduled to return in a tournament alternate bout against Tiger Muay Thai product Amir Naseri.

Unfortunately, Haggerty was once again forced to withdraw from the fight. With the window of fighting for the second time in 2022 closing fast, ‘The General’ accepted a bout with Kuzmin at bantamweight after competing in the flyweight division throughout his ONE Championship career.

Discussing his decision to take the fight at bantamweight, Jonathan Haggerty told The MMA Super Fan that he is excited about the opportunity and suggests it could very well end up being his new home:

“I just thought I couldn’t afford to not fight again this year. Let me go to bantamweight, let me see what these bantamweights are saying the minute I knock on their door. Yeah man, I’m excited. I am excited. Who knows, it might be the new me. I’ve seen some guys who have fought at flyweight and not done too well and then they moved to bantamweight and totally destroyed it. It could be the new Haggerty, you know?”

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Jonathan Haggerty reveals struggle that forced him to withdraw from the flyweight world grand prix tournament

After pulling out of the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix tournament in May, fans were largely left in the dark as to why. Jonathan Haggerty assured fans that he was recovering well, but during his conversation with The MMA Super Fan, ‘The General’ divulged details into his struggles with illness and hydration that forced his withdrawal:

"The last time, I made 61 kilos. I made the weight, but it was just really the hydration - I can’t stay hydrated. It was pretty difficult to balance the two. The last time I made 61 kilos against Mongkolpetch, I felt absolutely unreal.”

Jonathan Haggerty continued, saying:

“And in the next one, my body just must have grown. I had a 12-week camp for Walter Goncalves, and I just started to fade at the last bit. I started to peak a little bit too early. You know, I thought it was hard. I was doing it all by myself."

Watch 'The General's highlights in ONE Championship below: