The mistake of reigning ONE bantamweight MMA world champion Fabricio Andrade against Jonathan Haggerty during their championship clash at ONE Fight Night 16 last November 2023 was pointed out by his teammate Felipe Lobo.
Lobo guested on The AllStar’s YouTube channel, and in one of the junctures of the 19-minute interview, he explained that ‘Wonder Boy’ was focused on his fight plan, but one strike changed the complexity of the match and its outcome in an instant.
‘The Demolition Man’ revealed:
“I saw Haggerty start the fight fast against Fabricio. But Fabricio was very very concentrated in this fight. I did a lot of [sparring] with Fabricio, and like for round one and round two, his plan was to like study Haggerty and then start in the final of round two or round three. Round three, he is a machine bro. He’s so strong, and he’s a very smart fighter, but that high kick happened and that changed the game.”
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According to Lobo, Andrade was supposed to go all out in the championship rounds when ‘The General’s’ energy was significantly reduced; however, a powerful head kick landed by Haggerty in the second round was the key to his victory.
The now two-sport world champion eventually scored the stoppage win to capture the vacant ONE bantamweight kickboxing world title and hand Andrade his first defeat in ONE Championship.
Felipe Lobo doesn’t want to repeat that mistake from Fabricio Andrade as he vows to knock Jonathan Haggerty out
Lobo witnessed that unfavorable result firsthand as he was in the corner of Andrade inside the Mecca of Muay Thai.
But now, three months later, he has the opportunity to avenge his loss as he is scheduled to challenge Haggerty for his ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title on February 16 at ONE Fight Night 19.
The two will headline the card in front of the sold-out crowd inside the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, and the 30-year-old Brazilian promises to get a knockout victory against the Knowlesy Academy representative.
ONE Fight Night 19 is available live and for free to all Prime Video subscribers in North America.