Jonathan Haggerty raves about ONE Championship providing better opportunities for Thai fighters

ONE bantamweight kickboxing king Jonathan Haggerty applauded ONE Championship's efforts to spotlight combat sports athletes from Thailand who deserved it but never had the chance to do so prior to signing with the promotion.

In a recent guest appearance on the Winners Talking Podcast, Haggerty mentioned:

"They're bringing out some of the older fighters too, who had to retire 'cause they weren't earning any money. So, that's got to work. Now, they're all coming back out of retirement, fighting in ONE Championship."

Watch the entire interview here:

On Jan. 20, 2023, the world's largest martial arts promotion instituted the weekly ONE Friday Fights cards, which take place inside the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, to showcase the country's best homegrown up-and-coming Muay Thai athletes.

The weekly Muay Thai-centric card was so appealing that practitioners of the 'Art of Eight Limbs' worldwide have also competed on the ONE Friday Fights circuit, hoping to earn a six-figure contract with ONE.

This is where names such as Malaysian-American standout Johan 'Jojo' Ghazali, Thai rising star Thongpoon PK Saenchai, and the hard-hitting Russian Kiamran Nabati kickstarted their journey towards becoming some of ONE's most must-see Muay Thai competitors on the main roster.

---

Jonathan Haggerty set for kickboxing crown defense next year

Jonathan Haggerty's Muay Thai excellence translated well in kickboxing, though his upcoming bout might be his biggest test yet as the king of the talent-laden 145-pound kickboxing division.

In the main event of ONE 171: Qatar on Feb. 20, 2025, inside the Lusail Sports Arena in Lusail, Qatar, Haggerty will be defending the throne against Wei Rui.

'Demon Blade', the top-ranked ONE bantamweight kickboxing competitor, is coming off a stellar promotional debut this past May, where he outclassed former bantamweight kickboxing king Hiroki Akimoto.