ONE 171 results and recap: Jonathan Haggerty vs. Wei Rui

Undisputed ONE bantamweight kickboxing king Jonathan Haggerty made his first defense of his crown against the challenge of Wei Rui in the co-headliner of the ONE 171: Qatar card on Thursday evening inside the Lusail Sports Arena.

Apart from fending off the challenge from the Chinese contender, Haggerty also wanted to return to the win column after losing his previous fight. A win would no doubt help him regain his confidence.

Meanwhile, Wei aimed to dethrone 'The General' by adding the 26-pound golden belt to his collection alongside the K-1 titles he previously captured.

Check out the blow-by-blow action from this ONE bantamweight kickboxing world title fight.

Round 1: Haggerty opened up with a body kick on Wei's body but returned the favor with leg kicks of his own. Both fighters landed clean kicks against each other, with Haggerty mixing his target with Wei's body and head, but Wei focused more on Haggerty's legs.

Halfway into the round, Haggerty landed a solid punch, but Wei responded with a combination of punches that snapped Haggerty's head back. More punching combinations landed by Wei with under the minute in the round causing Haggerty's nose to become red. A low blow momentarily halted the action in the dying seconds of the opening round.

Round 2: An exchange of leg kicks opened up the second round, but Haggerty connected a clean head kick against Wei. Haggerty was the more aggressive fighter and attempted more strikes compared to the first round. This allowed him to land better significant strikes.

However, Wei responded well with strong leg kicks on Haggerty's body and legs. At the end of the round, Haggerty continued to control the pace.

Round 3: Haggerty picked up where he left off in the second round by pushing the pace and continuing his aggressiveness. He mixed his offense with punches and kicks on Wei's head and body. Another low blow halted the action shortly but it was resumed quickly.

Haggerty threw Wei down the canvas to try and intimidate him halfway into the match. But the Chinese challenger picked up the pace in the latter end of the round by letting go of his hands to match the intensity of the defending world champion.

Round 4: More kicks were thrown in the opening phase of the fourth round between Haggerty and Wei, with both fighters continuing to exchange their best shots - Haggerty with his punching combination and Wei's calf kicks.

Haggerty landed a strong punch on Wei's face in the last minute of the round that cracked a smile on his face as he acknowledged that Wei was hurt by it. A push kick from Haggerty ended the round.

Round 5: Knowing that he might be behind in the scorecards, Wei opened up the last round with more aggression but seemed to be more reckless in his attack as he hunted for a possible finish.

Haggerty neutralized the offense of Wei by using his range and kicking him to the body. The defending champion cruised to a victory in the waning seconds of the match by evading the blows from Wei to end the championship fight.

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ONE 171: Qatar - Jonathan Haggerty vs. Wei Rui official result

British combat sports superstar Jonathan Haggerty successfully fended off the challenge of Chinese contender Wei Rui with a clinical unanimous decision victory in their ONE bantamweight kickboxing world title match in the co-main event of ONE 171: Qatar at the Lusail Sports Arena.

The 28-year-old striking superstar showered Wei with several of his patented combinations that targeted his head and body. Although 'Demon Blade' had his moments during the bout, Haggerty landed more significant and more damaging strikes throughout the championship match.

This extended his reign as the undisputed king of the bantamweight kickboxing division. He picked up his ninth win in 12 outings under the world's largest martial arts organization.

Jonathan Haggerty defeated Wei Rui via unanimous decision in their ONE bantamweight kickboxing world title fight.