“Lobo deserves it” – Jonathan Haggerty says ‘great fighter’ Felipe Lobo has earned a shot at ONE Championship gold

Jonathan Haggerty recognizes that Brazilian standout Felipe Lobo has earned his opportunity to challenge for the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world championship.

On Friday, February 16, ‘The General’ will return to the legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium for a main event title tilt with Lobo. ‘The Demolition Man’ earned his shot at Haggerty’s gold in the art of eight limbs with a spectacular third-round knockout of Saemapetch Fairtex at ONE Fight Night 9 in April.

Looking ahead to their highly anticipated clash, Jonathan Haggerty acknowledged that Lobo’s impressive upset against Saemapetch was more than enough to justify a showdown between the two inside Bangkok’s Mecca of Muay Thai.

“Lobo deserves it,” Haggerty told ONE Championship in a recent interview. “He stopped Saemapetch. He’s a great fighter. There’s respect there in the fighter sense.”

In addition to his victory over Saemapetch, Felipe Lobo also holds wins over Yodpanomrung and Rodlek PK Saenchai inside the Circle.

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Jonathan Haggerty declares that the time for talking is over

Though Jonathan Haggerty may respect Felipe Lobo as a fighter, there is certainly no love lost between the two.

In recent years, the pair have traded verbal jabs in interviews and on social media. At ONE Fight Night 19, ‘The General’ will relish the opportunity to finally step inside the ring with Lobo and let their fists do the talking.

“There's always this back and forth between me and him, he's always called me out, I've always called him out,” Haggerty previously told the South China Morning Post.

“And now’s the time, you know? No more talking. We let out fight talk.”

Who comes out on top when Haggerty puts 26 pounds of Muay Thai gold on the line against ‘Demolition Man’ in The Land of Smiles?

Amazon Prime Video subscribers in North America can catch all the action at ONE Fight Night 19: Haggerty vs. Lobo live and for free in U.S. primetime on February 16.