“He might be a lot bigger than me” – Jonathan Haggerty is wary of Vladimir Kuzmin’s size advantage

Jonathan Haggerty makes his long-awaited return to the circle on 18 November when the promotion presents its fourth Amazon Prime exclusive event. ‘The General’ will take on Russian striker Vladimir Kuzmin in his bantamweight debut.

ONE on Prime Video 4 broadcasts live on US primetime and is free to watch with a Prime Video subscription.

Entering the bout with 17 career wins and a 1-1 record under ONE Championship, Kuzmin could score the biggest win of his career against the former flyweight world champion. A win for Haggerty would be his third straight and establish him as a contender in the bantamweight Muay Thai division almost immediately.

In an interview with The MMA Super Fan, Jonathan Haggerty discussed his upcoming showdown with Kuzmin and openly admitted that he did not know much about his Russian challenger:

“I feel like strength-wise, I’m not sure what he’s used to, fighting out of ONE Championship. He might be a lot bigger than me, I’m not too sure. I just want to get out there and I’m going to look at him up and down.”

After being forced to drop out of his last two previously scheduled bouts against Walter Goncalves and Amir Naseri, fans are undoubtedly excited to see Jonathan Haggerty’s special brand of striking back in the circle once again.

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Jonathan Haggerty ready to prove his mettle at bantamweight

When Jonathan Haggerty steps back into the circle, he will do so with a mission similar to the one he had when he made his ONE Championship debut back in 2019. ‘The General’ wants to show the world that he is the real deal.

Of course, Haggerty has done more than that with massive wins over current strawweight Muay Thai world champion Joseph Lasiri, Muay Thai legend Sam-A Gaiyanghadao, and back-to-back instant classics against icon Rodtang Jitmuangnon. Largely absent in 2022, Haggerty will return at ONE on Prime Video 4 to make his mark in the bantamweight division:

"I feel like I want to [make] an impression, like when I fought against [Joseph] Lasiri in my debut and then the next fight against Sam-A. That’s the impression I want to make, like, ‘Wow this guy is the real deal.'"

A win over Kuzmin will be the first big step in setting the stage for a true Muay Thai dream matchup between Haggerty and the reigning bantamweight Muay Thai king, Nong-O Gaiyanghadao. Undefeated inside the circle, Nong-O is arguably the greatest Muay Thai striker alive.

Boasting a record of more than 260 career wins, it’s no wonder why fans are already salivating at the idea of a clash between Nong-O and Jonathan Haggerty.