Jonathan Haggerty on his unorthodox underwater kettlebell training in preparation for ONE 171: “Anything to better myself”

Jonathan Haggerty is a firm believer that if you want something you've never had, you must be willing to do something you've never done.

'The General' is indeed pulling out all the stops to ensure his first bantamweight kickboxing world title defense will be met with rousing success.

In the first of two world championship bouts at ONE 171: Qatar, Haggerty will do everything in his power to keep his 26 pounds of gold against surging Chinese contender Wei Rui at Lusail Sports Arena.

Jonathan Haggerty has never shied away from pushing the envelope in training.

For this five-round war against 'Demon Blade', the 28-year-old was seen working on his stamina and heart rate by swimming while swinging a pair of heavy kettlebells underwater.

The 145-pound kickboxing king opened up about his unusual training method to the Bangkok Post in his pre-event interview:

"We just thought we’d add it. I normally do underwater stuff anyway. In camp, like, we open up the lungs for lung capacity, but this time we added kettlebells. I think the guy was working with Alistair Overeem etc., so we linked up with him, we did a bit of work and it was hard."

The English striker continued:

"I nearly passed out a few times over there. It’s a mental challenge as well, you know? When you need that air. Yeah, it was a great experience. Anything to get the win. Anything to better myself."

Watch the full interview:

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Jonathan Haggerty won't make the mistake of underestimating Wei Rui

Jonathan Haggerty understands that everybody is a threat, especially in the highest levels of striking in the world's largest martial arts organization.

As such, the Orpington, England native vowed not to let his guard down for even one second against his upset-seeking challenger. Haggerty said during the ONE 171 press conference:

"I'm very excited to defend my belt against Wei Rui. You know, he's a very credible opponent, the number one [contedner] for a reason. We've left no stone unturned."

'The General' added:

"We've not overlooked him, and we're just excited to put on a great performance for everyone. And tune in and I'm pretty sure it's going to be a great fight, a great event."

Watch ONE 171: Qatar live on Feb. 20 via watch.onefc.com.