'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
ONE bantamweight and former flyweight Muay Thai world champion Jonathan Haggerty is riding a strong wave of popularity at the moment after he shocked the world last April at ONE Fight Night 9.
In front of a rabid crowd inside the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, 'The General' shook the very foundations of modern Muay Thai by knocking out the seemingly untouchable Nong-O Hama to win his second world title in as many weight classes.
Trending
The English native has come a long way from being a 21-year-old world champion to a bonafide superstar shining on the world stage. Before becoming the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai king, Jonathan Haggerty did most of his early work at flyweight, where he won his first ONE world title. This is also the division where he debuted in the promotion.
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
ONE Championship posted a YouTube video of Haggerty's promotional debut back in 2019 against future ONE world champion Joseph Lasiri:
"Relive newly crowned ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Jonathan Haggerty's promotional debut against future ONE Strawweight Muay Thai World Champion Joseph Lasiri in 2019!"
No one knew at the time of this fight that these two warriors would eventually become ONE world champions. The fight may have given us an idea of what kind of intestinal fortitude 'The General' and 'The Hurricane' has that would help them wear gold in the future.
The bout was a back-and-forth brawl that pushed both Muay Thai warriors to the absolute limit. In the end, however, Jonathan Haggerty's iron-clad heart and ferocious aggression allowed him to narrowly edge Lasiri out via a unanimous decision. After the bout, 'The General' went on to defeat Sam-A Gaiyanghadao for the ONE flyweight Muay Thai world title, his first in the promotion.
As for Lasiri, the Haggerty loss was the last of a disappointing 4-fight losing streak in ONE Championship.
He bounced back by defeating another future ONE world champion in Hiroki Akimoto in a non-world title bout en route to a 3-1 stretch. That led to his massive knockout win against Prajanchai PK Saenchai for the ONE strawweight Muay Thai world title.
It's his first world title in the promotion, winning it over four years after his debut.
