Jonathan Haggerty, Taiki Naito show absolute class despite intense matchup

Jonathan Haggerty
Jonathan Haggerty (Left) and Haggerty fighting Taiki Naito (Right)

Fans praised Jonathan Haggerty and Taiki Naito for displaying sportsmanship during their intense matchup several years ago.

In December 2020, Haggerty was motivated to bounce back after losing two consecutive world title fights against ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon. ‘The General’ was matched up against Naito, who was riding a three-fight win streak at the time.

The flyweight Muay Thai bout produced thrilling action for three rounds at ONE: Big Bang II. Haggerty emerged victorious, but both fighters gained fans for displaying sportsmanship throughout the fight.

ONE recently posted highlights of the bout on Instagram, and fans filled the comment section with praise, including some saying:

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“Love the level of respect and care from the fighters to the ref to the staff this is amazing and refreshing to see”
Instagram comment
Instagram comment
“Such class. How can you not respect this👊”
Instagram comment
Instagram comment
“Good sportsmanship. 👍🏿”
Instagram comment
Instagram comment
“Love the sportsmanship. Great fight.”
Instagram comment
Instagram comment

After defeating Taiki Naito, Jonathan Haggerty secured two more wins before heading to arguably the biggest fight of his career. Haggerty was now at bantamweight and challenged the legendary Nong-O Hama for the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title.

Although ‘The General’ is widely respected in the Muay Thai community, most people couldn’t predict what would happen at ONE Fight Night 9.

Jonathan Haggerty came out firing and dropped Nong-O multiple times. With less than one minute left in the first round, ‘The General’ knocked out the longtime bantamweight Muay Thai king. The 26-year-old now awaits his first world title challenger.

It’s unclear who’s next for Haggerty, but several possible opponents are a rematch against Nong-O, a trilogy bout against Rodtang, or a must-see matchup against Liam Harrison.

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Edited by C. Naik
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