Jonathan Haggerty says he'll let his kids decide on whether they want to pursue martial arts: "I know the sacrifices I've put into it"

Jonathan Haggerty has built an incredible life and career for himself through his commitment to martial arts.

The reigning ONE bantamweight kickboxing world champion is a great role model and example of what can happen with hard work and self belief.

'The General' wasn't an overnight success and he's been training and competing from a young age, whether he wanted to or not.

Having dedicated so much of his life to the striking arts, he's not sure that he wants the same fate for his children.

Jonathan Haggerty spoke about this during a recent interview on the Winners Talking Podcast, where he was asked about his family keeping the Haggerty name alive and well in combat sports:

"If they wanted to do it, then yeah. But I wouldn't push them to do it because I know the sacrifices I've put into it. And especially not Thai boxing. If I was to push them into a combat sport, it would be boxing. If you're going to do it, make sure you earn a few quid out of it. But hopefully, Thai boxing gets up there and yeah, whatever my kid wants to do."

Watch the full podcast interview below:

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Jonathan Haggerty has worked incredibly hard to get here

As Jonathan Haggerty said himself, if striking continues to grow in popularity than the circumstances might be different by the time that he looks to grow his family.

When he says that he isn't sure about his own children following in his footsteps, that's only because he knows what it has taken to achieve success at the top level.

The British striking superstar has had to sacrifice so much to reach the pinnacle and that will have undoubtedly inspired a lot of new, young martial artists.

For now, with his return locked in for ONE 171: Qatar. That evening, the Englishman will defend his bantamweight kickboxing title against China's 'Demon Blade' Wei Rui on Feb. 20.