“Jonathan Haggerty’s rise to two-sport dominance” – Joshua Pacio names ‘The General’ as his standout striker of 2023

For Joshua Pacio, there was no better stand-up athlete in 2023 than Jonathan Haggerty, who went from contender to two-sport king.

‘The General’ kicked off his year scoring a brutal first-round knockout of Thai legend Nong-O Hama to claim the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world championship.

That alone would be enough to make it a banner year for the British striking sensation, but Haggerty was far from done.

In November, he returned to the ring determined to add another ONE world title. Squaring off against Fabricio Andrade for the vacant bantamweight kickboxing crown, Haggerty delivered another highlight-reel finish, this time in the second round, to claim his second simultaneous title and third overall.

Speaking with the promotion, former ONE strawweight MMA champion Joshua Pacio named Haggerty as his standout striker of 2023.

“Oh man, in the world of striking, I can’t pinpoint one moment or one fight. But one thing that truly stood out to me is Jonathan Haggerty’s rise to two-sport dominance. He dominated both fights, starting with Nong-O, and then finishing Andrade.”

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What’s next for Jonathan Haggerty and Joshua Pacio?

Following the events of ONE Friday Fights 46, Jonathan Haggerty may have his next title challenger lined up.

Scottish standout Nico Carrillo delivered an impressive showing against Nong-O, putting away the ex-titleholder in the second round for his third straight win under the ONE banner.

As for Joshua Pacio, the Filipino strawweight will have the opportunity to reclaim the 26 pounds of gold he surrendered to Jarred Brooks more than a year ago when they run it back at ONE 166, the promotion’s highly anticipated debut in Qatar on Friday, March 1.

If you missed any of the action or want to relive an epic night in ONE Championship history, the ONE Friday Fights 46 replay can be watched on demand via watch.onefc.com.