"One of the hardest tournaments you could probably find" - ONE 157's Jonathan Haggerty on the stacked flyweight Grand Prix

Jonathan Haggerty will be part of the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Grand Prix, but he knows that he will be against tough competition once it begins.

In an interview with Sportskeeda MMA, ‘The General’ said he’s honored to be part of the prestigious tournament, especially considering the fighters involved in it.

“In my mind, I think it’s a hard tournament, one of the hardest tournaments you could probably find. We’ve got the best flyweights in the world, and I think also it’s one of the most exciting categories, flyweight, because of the dangerous fighters in there including myself. It’s just motivating, for them to put me in a position to compete against the best in the world. It’s pretty cool as well, so I’m very thankful for ONE for letting me test my skills.”

Catch the full interview below:

Haggerty will face Walter Goncalves of Brazil in a quarterfinal pairing of the tournament when it kicks off at ONE 157: Petchmorakot vs. Vienot on May 20.

Other matchups include ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon facing Jacob Smith, four-time Muay Thai world champion Superlek Kiatmoo9 squaring off against shoot boxing champion Taiki Naito, and WBC and WMC Muay Thai world champion Savvas Michael facing promotional newcomer Amir Naseri.

ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong called it the greatest eight-man global tournament ever assembled and it’s clear why, with all the big names vying for the top prize.

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Jonathan Haggerty looking to get back in the world title hunt

The winner of the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Grand Prix will not only receive a prestigious silver belt, but also a shot at Rodtang Jitmuangnon’s world title.

However, the journey to the finals will inevitably match Jonathan Haggerty with another tough opponent, who he hopes will be another Thai superstar. During his interview with Sportskeeda MMA, Haggerty said:

“Yeah, I’d like to fight Superlek as well, and I would love to fight Rodtang for the third time. You know, the third time’s lucky, they say.”

Before Jonathan Haggerty made his debut in ONE Championship, Superlek dealt him a second-round TKO loss. They could potentially cross paths again in the tournament.

Meanwhile, Haggerty is also hoping to leave Rodtang with no choice but to face him in a third match despite already owning two wins against the British fighter.

Haggerty lost the world title to ‘The Iron Man’ in his first defense via split decision. He later failed to reclaim it in their rematch, absorbing a third-round TKO loss via knockdowns.

Haggerty is now on a two-fight win streak and is aiming to extend that further on his way to claiming another shot at Rodtang.