Jonathan Haggerty thankful to fight at Lumpinee despite hostile territory

Newly crowned ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion ‘The General’ Jonathan Haggerty is grateful for the opportunity to make history last Friday night at ONE Fight Night 9. There, he dethroned Thai legend Nong-O Hama in Bangkok’s most prestigious venue – the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.

During the ONE Fight Night 9 post-event interview, Haggerty said he knew coming into the fight that he was against all odds, facing Nong-O in his hometown. But the 26-year-old Englishman was not going to allow himself to crumble under the pressure.

‘The General’ said:

“Yeah, I knew the tough task was coming in his backyard. It's going to be hard. But, like always, I'm thankful for being here, and I'm thankful for being in Lumpinee Boxing Stadium. It's such a great arena to fight in.”

Catch the interview below:

Of course, Haggerty ended up knocking out Nong-O midway through the very first round after sending him to the canvas three times. It was a memorable performance from ‘The General’, who went home with the coveted golden belt and a cool $100,000 bonus from ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong.

It was Nong-O’s first defeat in ONE Championship since joining the promotion five years ago. The Thai legend ran up a 10-fight winning streak, the last five of which ended inside the distance, until he ran into Haggerty.

Meanwhile, Haggerty was coming off three impressive victories over Taiki Naito, Mongkolpetch, and Vladimir Kuzmin before he stepped into the ring with Nong-O. Against Kuzmin, Haggerty made his bantamweight debut, although he struggled to make the upper limit. Many also thought he looked sluggish and lacked power.

Last Friday night, however, Haggerty looked fast, strong, and powerful. He's clearly grown into the division nicely.