“Show the world the level of our Chinese striking” - Wei Rui says he’ll represent a whole nation in title bout with Jonathan Haggerty

Wei Rui goes for the world title in his scheduled fight this week. While at it, he said he will take the opportunity to represent well Chinese kickboxing and the entire nation.

The No. 1 bantamweight kickboxing contender will challenge reigning divisional king Jonathan Haggerty of the United Kingdon in the co-headlining match at ONE 171: Qatar on Feb. 20 at the Lusail Sports Arena in Lusail.

Wei is also looking to extend his impressive winning run, which currently stands at 21 straight, including his ONE Championship debut in May last year over former world champion Hiroki Akimoto of Japan.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Wei Rui spoke about the motivations he has heading into his title bid, including bannering his home country and kickboxing there.

The 33-year-old fighter said:

“I represent China to challenge for this ONE Championship belt. It’s a testament to the stand-up level of Chinese fighters. Once again, I’ll show the world the level of our Chinese striking.”

Prior to joining ONE Championship last year, Wei Rui had a lot of success competing at K-1, where he was a multiple-time champion. He seeks to continue success now in the 'Home of Martial Arts.'

Haggerty, for his part, will be defending the kickboxing gold for the first time since becoming the bantamweight king in November 2023. He is also out for redemption after losing the division's Muay Thai championship belt in his last match back in September.

For more information on ONE 171: Qatar, check out onefc.com.

Wei Rui says he will test the durability of Jonathan Haggerty in title match

Chinese challenger Wei Rui is hell bent on becoming the new ONE bantamweight kickboxing world champion when he takes on reigning divisional king Jonathan Haggerty at ONE 171: Qatar. In going about it, he is looking to test the durability of 'The General' amid crisp striking emanating from him.

He shared this in an interview with ONE Championship as he pointed out the strengths and weaknesses of his champion opponent.

Wei said:

"I think Haggerty's speed and explosiveness, those are his strengths. His weakness is also visible to everyone -- his abdomen. His ability to take body shots is definitely a disadvantage."

Entering ONE 171, Wei is packing a lot of momentum, winning 21 straight, something not lost on Haggerty, who views the challenger every bit worthy of a title shot.