"Not in it to be recognized" - Jonathan Haggerty admits fame only comes second to his world championship goals in ONE Championship

ONE bantamweight kickboxing world champion Jonathan Haggerty's stock has drastically risen since he achieved two-sport glory in ONE Championship.

Per the superstar, however, his ever-growing brand only comes second to his accomplishments on martial arts' biggest stage.

Speaking on the Winners Talking Podcast, Haggerty admitted that while it's nice to get the recognition he deserves, he doesn't make too much of a fuss about it:

"I'm not in it to be recognized. But it's nice at the same time, you know? All the hard work you put in, it's nice to be noticed, and see what you're doing, and the hard work you're putting in."

"We're not a superstar over here yet, but we're getting there slowly, for sure," he added.

Watch Jonathan Haggerty's full interview here:

'The General' enjoyed a glorious run to the Muay Thai and kickboxing world titles in the bantamweight division last year. He knocked out striking icon Nong-O Hama and Fabricio Andrade to lay his hands on a pair of coveted 26 pounds of gold.

While 2024 got off to a good start for the Londoner as he defended his Muay Thai strap against Felipe Lobo at ONE Fight Night 19 in February, it wasn't meant to be for the 27-year-old in his second defense against Superlek Kiatmoo9 at ONE 168: Denver.

Despite enjoying a near-perfect training camp, Haggerty's dreams of avenging his defeat to 'The Kicking Machine' in October 2018 came to a screeching halt within 49 seconds of their rematch inside the Ball Arena this past September.

---

Jonathan Haggerty looks to turn Superleks's loss into motivation at ONE 171: Qatar

While the loss to Superlek Kiatmoo9 still looms large on Jonathan Haggerty's mind, the Englishman is no stranger to adversity.

Just as he did after enduring back-to-back defeats to Rodtang Jitmuangnon, 'The General' is fired up to bounce back in style when he returns to the Circle to defend his bantamweight kickboxing crown against 'Demon Blade' Wei Rui in the main event of ONE 171: Qatar on Feb. 20.

Their clash inside the Lusail Sports Arena will mark Haggerty's first title defense of his kickboxing strap and Wei Rui's second outing after he overcame former kingpin Hiroki Akimoto in his promotional bow this past May.